Code: Walker
by WalkingDeadRox
Summary: The Lyoko Warriors are spending their vacation down near Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, they are now wrapped up in a new nightmare. Follow the Lyoko Warriors as they struggle to survive along side some newly gained allies from the motor inn. Will they survive?
1. Pre-Chapter

**A/N: Ok this is my first crossover fanfiction. I loved Code Lyoko when I was a kid and right now I want to see a crossover between both The Walking Dead and Code Lyoko. By the way, congratulations to AquaDestinysEmbrace for starting up the Code Lyoko Walking Dead crossover. Her story is quite amazing! There is one additional twist to the story, my OC, Monroe. Backstory: Monroe is the older brother to Aelita by one year. He is rather strong and intelligent; however, when things go to crap, Monroe usually tries to muscle through the situation instead of thinking of it rationally.**

**Description on apparel:** Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and William wear the same outfits from season 4 of Code Lyoko

Jeremy wears a pair of jeans, a denim jacket, and his usual red sweater. As mention in later chapters, his facial hair grows out slightly. The hair on his head does grow much faster; he has some of it in a small ponytail.

Monroe wears a blue plaid shirt underneath a blue sweater, a pair of blue denim jeans, and wears a pair of boots

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights reserved to their respective owners. However, I do own Monroe.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: In this first chapter, the group is spending their summer vacation near Atlanta, Georgia. They have a couple more days until they have to board a plane and return to France. However, they were never prepared for what was going to happen…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

It was a nice but slightly cold day at the park near Atlanta. Six teenagers were relaxing and doing their own activities, until the pink-haired girl of the group noticed that her boyfriend was typing fiercely away at his laptop. The other teenagers took notice and approached their fellow teenager.

"Jeremie, what are you doing?" The pink-haired girl said. "It's a nice day out. Give that laptop a rest." She continued and started to gently close the laptop.

Jeremie swatted her hands away and said, "Aelita, I'm working on something."

"Can't it wait?" One of the older teens asked.

"I don't think so William." Jeremie responded.

"Will you tell us at least what you're working on?" A young Asian girl asked.

"I'm trying to bring back Franz Hopper." Jeremie said frustrated by all of the questions.

"That won't work." A blonde boy said sadly. "I do miss father but he wasn't data. He can't be revised; he was a human being. But I do appreciate the effort. You have done so much for my sister and me; I'm not sure how I will ever thank you."

Jeremie finally closed the laptop in defeat. The mood was very solemn until Aelita grabbed Jeremie's glasses. "Hey!" He exclaimed

She put them on and said in a taunting manner, "What's wrong Jeremie? Don't I look very literate?"

"You're already literate, now give me my glasses back." Jeremie said trying to snatch his glasses from Aelita but she took them off and handed them to Ulrich

Jeremie took notice and tried to get them from Ulrich but Ulrich made a run for it. "Come on Einstein." Ulrich kept running until he bumped into someone. He fell back upon impact but regained his footing. "Sorry, sir," Ulrich said to the man who was surprisingly still on his feet.

The man turned around to show that his skin was pale, his eyes were white, and blood drenched his shirt. The man started to growl and tried to grab Ulrich. "Oh shit!" Ulrich exclaimed. He started to back away but the thing was still heading towards him. Finally, it was on top of him and would have chomped down on Ulrich's neck if William hadn't stuck his switchblade into the skull of the creature.

William was stunned at what he had done but nonetheless pulled the blade out of the creature's skull. "You ok?" William asked while closing up the switchblade.

"Yeah, I think." Ulrich said as he was hoisted up with the help of Yumi. The group stared on at the unknown and yet savage humanoid in front of them. Monroe got down on his knees and carefully turned the corpse over to examine it.

"I-I can't believe what I just did. I mean, I killed this man!" William exclaimed frantically.

"William…" Aelita said trying in vain to calm him down.

Monroe continued to look at the man and came to a conclusion. "This man was already dead."

"Wait, what?" Jeremie exclaimed.

"Right there." Monroe pointed at the bite mark. "That's a major artery. This man would have had only a few minutes to live and even with medical attention there would be no promise that he would live."

"There is only one possible solution:" Odd said getting all eyes on him, "XANA."

"It can't be XANA's dead!" Jeremie exclaimed.

"Then how do you explain this?" Yumi asked while pointing at the body of the already dead man.

"I don't know." Jeremie said, "Perhaps this is a natural event."

"I don't know if natural is the right word for it." William said.

Suddenly, there was the sound of gurgling growling coming from behind them. The teenagers turned around and looked on in horror as more of the walking corpses, or the walking dead, headed their way.

Monroe got up and said, "We have to get out of here. There's too many of them."

With that the seven teenagers ran into the woods, not knowing where they were going or if they would survive.

**2 Months and 2 Weeks Later**

Near the forest's edge was a small camp with two vehicles aimed for the road, in case the camp was to fall. A fire pit was the center piece of the camp with two sofas and a loveseat surrounding the fire pit. Beside the fire pit, there were four tents that contained two sets of sleeping bags except for the fourth tent which only had one. Yumi took stock of the medical supplies, food, and miscellaneous supplies, Ulrich checked the flashlights, and William checked the guns.

Suddenly, there was a rustle from the bushes, Yumi grabbed a couple of her throwing knives, Ulrich grabbed his katana sword, and William took up the hunting rifle, just in case the intruder was an armed human being. They breathed a sigh of relief when it was just Odd and Monroe who came back from their hunting trip.

Odd held up two squirrels victoriously and said, "The hunter has returned successful!"

Ulrich smiled slightly at the antics of his best friend and said, "I'm not sure that's going to feed seven people, Odd."

"Ten actually." Monroe remarked, "Odd's got four stomachs, remember?"

Ulrich and William started to laugh and even Yumi cracked a smile.

"Hey." Odd said and feigned hurt by the statement but was laughing on the inside. After the short period of happiness everyone went back to what they were doing. Monroe stabbed his halberd into the ground nearby and Odd put his crossbow next to the bloodied up picnic table that was used for skinning animals. Odd and Monroe got to work until Odd said, "Wait where's Mr. and Mrs. Einstein at?"

"They went to do a supply run into town. I think it's called Macon." William explained as he took one of the 8mm handguns apart for cleaning.

"Wait, they went by themselves?" Monroe asked raising his brow.

"Yup," Ulrich responded.

"Well we aren't going to see them anytime soon." Monroe stated bluntly as he went back to skinning the squirrel.

"What makes you say that?" Just as Yumi asked that, realization hits her. Jeremie and Aelita are in love, and they'll probably make out for the most of the time they're out there.

"Well let's look at the bright side." Odd said getting all eyes on him. "They'll be home in time for dinner." He said with a mischievous smile.

* * *

The two teens walked back from Macon somewhat successful in gathering supplies. Jeremie having his arm around Aelita and said, "Well that was very successful."

"It certainly was." Aelita said.

Jeremie looked affectionately toward her and stopped walking. They both looked at each other with Aelita having to look up a bit since Jeremie was now taller than her. They looked at each other for a couple more seconds until they locked lips with each other. They eventually separated and Jeremie said, "That was wonderful." His face flushed red.

Aelita who was equally red said, "Borrow William's razor and shave please. I want to feel like I'm kissing my boyfriend, not a cat."

"It's just a bit of fuzz." Jeremie said while combing through the facial hair on his chin that has grown out a bit since the apocalypse began.

"A bit? Try a lot." Aelita said as she punched him playfully in the chest.

They continued down the path until Jeremie took notice of a fortified motel. He stopped and observed the motel and said, "I'm surprised we didn't notice this place when we came up through here this morning." Jeremie then took a few steps forward to get a better look at the wall.

"I think we were a bit preoccupied to take any notice. Besides I don't think we want to go in there until we have a better vantage point to see what's inside." Aelita said.

"I know but I do need to see the defenses up close," Jeremie then approached her and continued to explain saying, "so if this place is abandoned or if it fell we could-" Aelita's eyes widen and she grabbed Jeremie immediately as a thunderous sound rang throughout the area and a bullet hit the ground. Jeremie and Aelita immediately went into action and had both their guns pointed towards three people who rounded the corner to meet them.

Jeremie stepped in front of Aelita with his shotgun readied to aim. "Who are you?" He said in his most intimidating voice.

"Relax," an African-American man said trying to diffuse the situation. "We aren't going to hurt you."

"I don't know about that." Aelita said angrily. "You almost killed Jeremie."

"Sorry about that." A man with a redneck accent and mustache said. "Lilly's got an itchy trigger-finger."

"We were hoping to talk." The African-American man said bluntly.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Jeremie asked, lowering his shotgun.

"For starters, how about I introduce everyone?" The African American man said pointing to the woman that was beside him. "This is Carley, that's Kenny, and I'm Lee."

"I'm Jeremie and this is Aelita."

"Are you alone?" Lee asked the two.

"No, we have a group." Aelita responded.

"We have seven people in our group including us." Jeremie added.

"Well, what do you think?" Kenny asked Lee. "Should we let them into the group?"

"We don't have a choice. They're just kids." Lee responded.

"Yeah but we don't have enough food as it is." Carley said.

"We have a couple of hunters in our group." Jeremie blurted out. "Odd and William, they both know how to hunt."

The three adults looked at each other for a few seconds and came to a decision. "Come on inside and we'll talk about it. We have to get Lilly's approval first."

"Screw her, Lee." Kenny said. "She won't just let us go out there and go get the other five members of their group."

"We aren't going to stay if the rest of our group is left out here." Jeremie said without hesitation.

"Let's just go inside and talk about it, alright?" Lee said to everyone to diffuse the situation.

Lee, then, escorted Jeremie and Aelita into the motor inn parking lot. It looked like everyone was in a panic. A middle-aged woman had two children behind her and a young woman climbed down the ladder to the RV roof. She approached Lee and was about to say something until a loud and angry voice pierced through the silence, "What the hell are you doing bringing them in here?" An old and strong looking man said.

"We can't just leave them out there to die." Lee said calmly.

"Lee's right. They're just a couple of kids." A man with glasses said as he approached group.

"The only reason we let Mark in was because he had food, enough for all of us." The woman said coldly. "And I'm guessing you two aren't carrying any groceries, are you?" She glared at the teens.

In turn, Aelita and Jeremie went rummaging through their backpacks finding the plundered supplies of today. The adults looked on amazed by how much food they had. There were several cans of Chef Boyardee, a large can of Spaghetti-O's, three packages of instant mashed potatoes, and several cans of green bean and mixed vegetables between the two teens.

The old man blurted out, "How did you get this stuff?"

"We left our camp and went into Macon." Aelita said.

"We're very thorough." Jeremie added in.

"Hell, Lee and I are never this successful at getting supplies when we go to Macon." Kenny said looking at the food.

Lilly then sighed and said, "Are there more of you?"

"Yes, there's Odd, Ulrich, William, Yumi, and Monroe." Jeremie said.

"Jeremie mentioned that William and Odd are the hunters in their group." Lee added in to try and sway Lilly's vote.

"How much does William and Odd collect in a day." Lilly asked.

"Not much up to recent, probably four squirrels a day. All the big-game in the area is gone." Aelita explained.

Lilly looked at everyone and gave them a gesture to talk alone. The group went over to have a private conversation. They all huddled up with the exception of Katjaa, Clementine, and Duck, who all went to visit Jeremie and Aelita.

"We can't let them in!" Larry said angrily. "All they'll do is eat our food and do nothing!"

"They can't be as lazy as you say they are." Mark objected. "They wouldn't have survived this long otherwise."

"Mark's right. Where on earth would they have gotten all that food from?" Lee said.

"They're right, dad. I nearly shot one of them and the other reacted immediately to save his life." Lilly said. "Plus I saw how quickly they responded to us; they didn't even seem afraid of you when you went to meet them." Lilly continued while looking at Lee for confirmation.

He nodded in response. "So they can stay?" Kenny asked.

"Yes, for now." Lilly said. Kenny and Lee shared a satisfied smile with each other and they headed back to the two teens with Lilly trailing behind.

"Is that your natural hair color?" Duck asked Aelita.

"Yup, my mom had the same hair color as I do." Aelita responded.

The conversation halted when Lilly, Lee, and Kenny approached Jeremie and Aelita. Lilly then said, "Ok you can stay and so can the rest of your group."

Jeremie and Aelita shared a smile and then Lee asked, "Is your camp far from here."

"No. It's just a little ways down the road on the forest's edge." Jeremie replied.

"Alright, you lead the way." Kenny said.

"Please be careful." Clementine said to Lee.

"Don't worry, I always am." Lee responded. With that, Aelita picked up her backpack and pistol, Jeremie grabbed his shotgun and backpack, Lee grabbed his axe, and Kenny took one of the two hunting rifles that the group had. They headed out after Kenny said his good-byes to Katjaa and Duck.

* * *

The five teenagers at the camp had finished their long and hard day and were relaxing with some food. Monroe barely touched his food. Suddenly he put down his bowl, got up, and took his halberd off the picnic table. The four looked on surprised and curious. Yumi spoke up and asked, "Monroe, what are you doing?"

"Something's wrong." Monroe stated plainly. "Something must have happened; they've never been out this long. I got to go find them."

William got up and grabbed a hunting rifle on the table. "I'm coming with you."

Monroe nodded and the two headed out until they heard gurgled moaning and growling from the other side of the camp.

Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd noticed it too and looked around to see twenty walkers heading their way.

Ulrich pulled out his katana sword from its sheath and started to expertly cut down two of the walkers. Odd shot an arrow from his crossbow and killed one of the walkers instantly. Yumi killed three with her throwing knives. Despite the kills, the walkers kept coming and started to push the teens back. Monroe and William now joined the fray with their melee weapons but the teens were still being pushed back. Finally, William went and grabbed the rifle that he was going to use to help Monroe to find Jeremie and Aelita and started shooting the remaining walkers. One got close to William and he fired but he ran out of bullets. The walker tried to bite down on him but he used the rifle to keep it away from him; however, he was now on the ground as the walker tried to reach him. Fortunately, Monroe stabbed the walker into the head before it could do anything to William. Using his halberd to pick up the corpse, Monroe discarded it a few feet away.

"Are you ok?" Yumi asked worriedly as she got down to William's level.

"Yeah, I think so." William said breathing heavily.

Odd went up to him and said, "Come on I'll help you up." He offered William his hand and William accepted it.

"I hate to say it but this area isn't safe anymore." Ulrich said.

"We can't leave; Jeremie and my sister are still out there." Monroe said. Suddenly everyone could here foot-steps that were not far away from the camp.

Everyone's eyes widened and they grabbed their weapons. Monroe and Ulrich decided to wield their melee weapons, Odd held out his loaded crossbow, and William reloaded the hunting rifle quickly and Yumi grabbed their pistol.

Out of the bushes came Jeremie and Aelita and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Monroe dropped his halberd and went up to his sister and hugged her. "Welcome back." He said. "Where have you two been?" He lets go of Aelita and talked to Jeremie and Aelita. "The whole group has been worried sick about you." Everyone went and congregated with the two teens.

"Sorry, we got side-tracked." Jeremie said and then took notice of the area. His expression changed to being worried and asked, "What happened here?"

"We got attacked." William stated bluntly.

"We can't stay here." Ulrich stated. "Even if we burn the bodies, how long until another horde blows through?"

"Is anyone hurt or bitten?" Aelita asked worriedly.

"No but we definitely had a few close calls." Odd said.

Suddenly two men came into the camp holding guns. "Oh shit!" William exclaimed and he drew his hunting rifle and Yumi brought her pistol up

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Jeremie exclaimed and put a hand on William rifle and Yumi's pistol. "They're friendly."

William and Yumi calmed down and the two men looked at the camp with shock. "What hell happened here?" Kenny exclaimed.

"Jeremie, what's going on? Who are these people?" Yumi asked.

"This is Lee and Kenny." Jeremie explained. "They're set up at a motor inn that's near Macon."

"A motor inn?" Odd asked delighted. "That means beds."

"Yeah, I believe so." Jeremie chuckled. It has been a long time since any of the teenagers had slept on a bed.

"I think we should all head back since this place isn't exactly safe right now." Lee said observing the scene in front of him.

Everyone nodded in agreement but as they were about to leave realization hits Aelita and she says, "Oh wait! Hold on I forgot something." She heads back into the camp which was less than a few feet away.

"Can't it wait?" Kenny asked worried that another herd would come through.

"No." Aelita replied. She went into her tent and searched frantically for one of her most treasured items, one in which could never part with. Monroe and Jeremie shared a look of 'I know what she's looking for.' Aelita finally found what she was looking for and she headed back to the group. The two men looked at what she went to retrieve which was an elf-like doll. "Ok, now I'm ready." Aelita said smiling with the doll in hand.

Kenny showed a frustrated and annoyed face while Lee showed a smile and the two men led the group of teenagers to the motor inn. At the motor inn, the teens were greeted with open arms from everyone except for Larry…

…**To be Continued.**

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I'm trying my best to fit in elements from both **_**The Walking Dead**_** and **_**Code Lyoko**_**. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or Code Lyoko. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

**2 weeks later**

A walker enjoyed its new meal and never noticed that there was a figure behind it. The figure, Lee, brought his axe down on top of its skull ending its undead life. Mark and Odd joined alongside Lee as he pulled his axe out of the walker's skull. "Great. What did it get this time?" Mark asked disappointed at the loss of another meal

"What's left of a rabbit." Odd replied observing the poor creature that was unfortunate enough to be in the hands of the undead.

"Well, that's another meal lost." Mark said.

"I hardly call a rabbit a meal, Mark, but hell I'd take it." Lee said.

"You think Kenny, William, and Ulrich are having any better luck than we are?" Mark asked as he looked around for any wildlife.

"I doubt it." Odd replied as he looked through the scope of his crossbow. "These woods just don't have any more wildlife."

They continued on their trek through the woods until Mark spoke up, "You know Kenny is thinking of leaving the motor inn with that RV he has been working on."

"You can hardly blame him." Odd said looking away from his scope to the two men. "Did you hear the way Larry went off on him last night? He kind of reminds me Jim."

"Wait a minute; the gym teacher from your school." Mark asked with a smile that threatened to burst with laughter any minute from the many stories of Jim.

"Yup, same one," Odd chuckled.

"Yeah, well, Larry isn't exactly as comical as your former gym teacher." Mark said in response. Mark then shifted his focus to Lee and said. "It seems Larry gives you an even worst time than the rest of us." Suddenly there was some rustling from the bushes and Mark took up his rifle and Odd brought his crossbow up. However, it turned out to be nothing but a few crows.

"Larry is just looking after his daughter." Lee said choosing his set of words carefully.

*cough* "Suck-up!" *cough* Odd said with mischievous smile.

"I heard that Odd." Lee chuckled.

They continued down the path until Odd saw a squirrel on a tree branch and kneelt down to avoid scaring it away. He focused his sights on the creature as Lee and Mark kneelt down with him in the shrubbery. "Can you hit it?" Lee asked quietly.

"Almost got it," Odd responded.

Suddenly there was an ear piercing scream that was further into the forest. The squirrel went hiding back into his home in the tree. "Shit! Was that Kenny?" Mark exclaimed.

"No idea!" Lee replied. With that the three ran towards the direction of the screaming. They came to a clearing which showed a grisly scene of a man caught in a bear trap while two teenagers struggled to get him out of it.

"Holy shit." Mark muttered.

"Oh shit. No, no, no, please don't shoot us." The shorter boy said to them.

"Lee, you guys ok?" Kenny asked as he came into the clearing with William and Ulrich.

"What the hell is going on?" William asked surprised of the scene in front of him.

"Travis, maybe they can help." The taller teen said.

"These guys may be the same guys that raided our camp and we barely got away from that." Travis replied.

"What guys? Why is there a bear trap out here?" Ulrich asked confused by the logic of the two teens and the fact that there was a bear trap out in the woods that never had bears to begin with.

"Who raided your camp?" Lee asked being equally confused.

"I don't know, guys with guns" The tall teenager replied.

"Ben shut up! My dad was special forces I know what I'm doing!"

"Kid, relax, we'll try to help you but you've got to calm down." Kenny exclaimed worried that the teen's frantic behavior would draw unwanted attention.

"Just see if you can get him out, then you can leave us or whatever. I don't care." Ben said.

"Lee this is messed up. We have to help them." Ulrich said.

"We got to get him out of there." Lee said to Mark.

"Oh, yes! Thank you!" The man in the bear trap replied. Mark kneelt down to examine the trap and the man whimpered in pain saying, "Hurry, please, hurry."

"Lee this traps been altered. There's no release latch." Mark said looking up at Lee after a few minutes of examining the trap.

Suddenly, there was the sound of gurgled moaning and growling that came from the other end of clearing. Twenty walkers were making their way to their next meal which was the group. "Oh no." Travis said frightened by the amount of walkers heading their way.

"Shit, walkers!" Kenny exclaimed. "It's now or never Lee!"

"Mark, keep the boys back!" Lee said to his friend as he squatted down to examine the trap. "Kenny and William, keep those walkers off of me!" Lee looked over the trap trying to find some magical flaw with it but found nothing. Then he noticed the chain; he moved onto the chain and tried to cut it with his axe but it proved useless.

"Forget it, that's not going to work!" Mark exclaimed while William and Kenny kept the walkers at a distance with their hunting rifles. "We used chains like that to lift jet engines; you're not going to cut through that!"

Lee looked at the man in the trap with horror and got up from the position of examining him. "I'm going to have to cut you out, man." Lee said sadly.

"Wait! No, try the trap again, anything, please!" The man exclaimed.

"I'm just wasting ammo at this point!" Kenny exclaimed as he fired another shot. "I'm sorry but we've got to go!"

It was now or never! Lee had to cut the man's leg off to save his life or leave him to be eaten by the walkers. He brought the axe up and was ready to come down on the man's leg until he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to see Ulrich. "I'll cut him free." Ulrich said to Lee and got into the position to cut the man's leg off.

"No, you shouldn't have to do this." Lee replied.

"There's no time for you to make four or five swings at this man's leg when I could just do it once." Ulrich said unsheathing his sword and expertly sliced the man's leg in half horizontally. The man screamed in pain and fainted from blood loss. Ulrich sheathed his sword and everyone gathered around the man. Travis gaged at the sight and went to throw up.

"Is he…" Mark asked struggling to say the last word.

"He passed out." Lee replied.

"If he's alive, grab him and let's go!" Kenny exclaimed.

William and Odd helped get the man on Mark's shoulders for a fireman's carry. Everyone was starting to leave the area. Then, Lee called out, "Behind you!" to Travis but it was too late. Travis was surrounded.

Ben turned around and saw that his friend was oblivious to the danger he was in and called out, "Travis!"

"Come on, come on! We got to move." Lee said dragging Ben away as Travis finally took notice of the walkers that were now ready to attack him. Travis fell back and tried to crawl away from the walkers but unfortunately for him the walkers got a hold of him and he became their next meal.

"No!" Ben exclaimed as Lee dragged him away from the clearing where his friend was getting ripped apart.

* * *

Back at the motor inn, Lilly was on top of the RV on watch, Larry was continuing to improve on the section of the wall, Clementine, Aelita, and Monroe were playing an unorganized soccer match, Duck was drawing while Katjaa was watching him, and Jeremy, Yumi, and Carley were looking at the laptop for recent updates of what was going on in the world, having no luck Jeremy immediately turned the laptop off.

Suddenly, there was rustling from the bushes and Lilly immediately noticed it. Whatever it was, it was getting closer, and she gave a sharp and loud whistle for everyone to stop what they were doing and to be quiet.

After a few tense moments, Lee came out of the woods and yelled, "Get the gates open! We've got wounded!"

"Shit! What the hell are they doing?" Lilly muttered as she got off the roof of the RV and headed toward the gate. Everyone was now crowded around the gate and watched as the group of men and teenage boys enter into the camp with Mark supporting a somewhat plump man on his shoulders who was missing a leg.

"What's going on?" Carley asked.

"Who the hell are these people?" Larry shouted.

"Are you guys alright?" Jeremie asked Ulrich, Odd, and William with concern written all over his face.

"We're fine!" William spoke up in order to be heard from the mayhem. "It's that guy who's in bad shape." William explained as he pointed to the man that Mark was placing on the truck bed.

"I'll explain later." Lee said trying to calm everyone down.

"Lee, are you ok?" Clementine asked Lee with obvious concern.

"Kat, can you fix him?" Kenny asked

"Geez…Ken! I-I don't know!" Katjaa responded overwhelmed by the scene.

"Lee!" Lilly's voice boomed around the crowd. All attention was diverted to her. "What the heck? You can't just be bringing new people here. What were you thinking?"

"Hey you want to calm down for a f****** minute?" Kenny asked angrily.

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Larry scolded Kenny.

"No I don't. I want to know why you thought bringing more mouths to feed was a good idea."

"He would have died if we left him." Lee said darkly.

"So what?" Larry asked coldly.

"We are not responsible for every struggling survivor out there! We have focus on our group! Right here, right now!" Lilly said harshly.

"Well hang on. We don't even know these people yet. Maybe they can be helpful." Carley joined in on the conversation.

"That's right, my group and I have been very beneficial to your group." Jeremie backed Carley up.

"Come on, Lilly, these are people. People trying to survive just like us, we got to stick together in order to survive." Mark said trying to rationalize the situation.

"The only reason you're here is because you had food enough for all of us! But that food is almost gone now. We have maybe a week's worth left!" Lilly said to Mark and the group of teenagers and then she turned her attention to Ben. "And I don't suppose you are carrying any groceries, are you?"

"Um, no," Ben said.

"Fine you guys fight it out then." Mark said to both Lilly and Kenny and directed his attention to Ben. "Welcome to the family, kid."

Clementine approached Ben and said, "Come over here and see what I drew."

"What-no I…" Ben stuttered to get the words out.

"Just come one, ok." Clementine said to the teen to get him out of the group politics. Apparently, the other teens, Aelita, Monroe, Odd, and William, knew it was time to leave as well and went to join Clementine, Duck, and Ben

"Look, if we need supplies, Ulrich and I can make another run into the town and get more." Yumi said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yumi, I don't know if you know this but we have had no increase in the food supply for days." Lilly said angrily. "Plus you and Ulrich have come back empty-handed several times from going to Macon."

"Hey, don't snap at her!" Ulrich exclaimed.

Lilly only glared at the two teens. They finally accepted defeat and left.

"You like to think you're the leader of this group but we can make our own decisions." Kenny said angrily towards Lilly. "This isn't your own personal dictatorship."

"Oh, come on, you're being over-dramatic." Carley said rolling her eyes at the two adults who act like two-year-olds at times. They both glared at her and she finally gave in and said, "Everything turns into a power struggle between you two, I'm not going to be a part of that." She walks away and returns to the lawn chair she was sitting in.

"Hey, I didn't ask to lead this group. Everyone was happy to let me deal out supplies but now that it's running low, suddenly I'm a damn Nazi!" Lilly said angrily.

"It doesn't matter who's in charge; those people are here now. I guess all we can do now is-" Lee said.

"No, Lee it does matter. One person can't be in charge of everything." Kenny interrupted Lee. "It may be safe for you to sit on the fence but sooner or later you're going to have to decide whose side you're on."

"We're all on the same side, Kenny!" Jeremie exclaimed. "The side of the living; I mean why are we so worried about picking the right leader?"

"You're one to talk." Kenny said.

"I don't try to force myself to be a leader to my group." Jeremie replied. Kenny scowled at him and walked away. Jeremie let out a sigh of frustration and left to join his group.

"I don't see the rest of you stepping up to make all the hard decisions my girl has to make." Larry said. "My girl's got more balls than all of you combined."

"Dad, please, why don't you go and help Mark with the wall," Lilly asked while blushing with embarrassment from her father's previous statement. Larry left and Lilly regained her composure. "You think this is easy for me? Everyone's starting to hate me because I'm the one handing out the food but no one else will do it!" Lilly said stressfully as she went through the gathered up food rations of the day. "You know what? I'm not doing it today." Lilly said as she shoved the six food items into Lee's hands. "Here's today's food rations, there is not enough to go around." She then left and took up her position on top of the RV.

Lee looked at the food items in his hands, contemplating on who will get what and started to make his rounds. He headed toward the teens first who were watching or participating in coloring with Clementine and Duck.

Clementine noticed that Lee was approaching and walked up to greet him. Lee smiled to see her and said "How are you doing Clementine?"

"Ok," she responded.

Lee noticed that the girl's trademark hat wasn't on her head and he asked, "Where's your hat?"

"I don't know." She responded sadly. "Can you help me find it?"

"Sure. When did you lose it?" Lee asked.

"I had it a couple days ago."

"I promise if I find it, I'll let you know."

"Thank you." She replied and went back to drawing with Duck.

Lee continued over to the teens and kids and offered some food to Clementine and Duck who appreciatively accepted it. He then asked, "Who else is hungry?"

"I know I'm starving over here." Odd said.

"When aren't you?" Ulrich asked his friend. Odd shrugged as he accepted the piece of beef jerky that Lee offered him.

"If memory serves right, I remember one time when Odd ate three trays of cafeteria food." Jeremie added. "At least I think he did." He looked at Ulrich for confirmation.

"He actually would have except when we got atta…uh into an emergency." Ulrich responded almost forgetting about Lee, Clementine, Duck, and Ben were right in front of him.

Lee raised a suspicious eyebrow to the teen's way and found it strange that the teen took a moment to correct himself. "What kind of an emergency."

"Faulty roof." Jeremy responded somewhat truthfully.

Lee was still suspicious but instead of pushing the subject further, he asked if anyone else wanted rations.

"Actually, I think Jeremie and I need to talk to Ulrich about something." Aelita said.

"Well, ok." Lee said. Jeremie gave Ulrich a gesture to follow and the three of them headed toward the other side of the RV where Kenny wouldn't be.

"I ate yesterday; I'm going to go join them." Monroe said to Lee as he got off the couch and headed toward the three.

"What's going on?" Lee asked Yumi.

"You know just some pre-apocalyptic issues that aren't really important." Odd said with a nervous smile. Lee just shook his head and decided to leave the issue alone. He then gave food to William and Yumi and headed off to give food to Mark.

* * *

"That was too close, Ulrich." Jeremie whispered sharply to his friend but not loud enough for anyone nearby to them to hear. However, Jeremie completely forgot that Lilly was on top of the RV keeping watch and could hear the whole conversation from where she sat.

"I know; I'm sorry. I forgot it's not just us anymore." Ulrich said as Monroe came up to the group.

"I don't know, Jeremie. Maybe we should just tell them." Aelita said. "They're going to find out eventually, and it might be better to hear it from us right now."

"That's not a good idea." Monroe stated bluntly then shifted his focus to Aelita. "Remember when father brought in hired help and asked for assistance with the super-computer. It ended with the men in black coming to our front door step, and trust me when I tell you that the sick things that they would have done to you, me, and father would be inhuman and unimaginable."

The group took a moment to think of a course of action. Lilly sat there flabbergasted by what has been mentioned by the kids. Questions ran through her head at a crazy rate. A super-computer? The men in black? What did Aelita, Monroe and their dad do to have the men in black get involved?

Jeremie finally came to a conclusion and said. "I know this should be a group vote but we shouldn't tell them anything."

"Jeremie?" Ulrich said astounded by his friend's response.

"There's a time and place for everything, Ulrich. Now is just not the time. It's not a trust issue; it's just the situation." Jeremie explained. Ulrich looked down solemnly and finally responded with a head shake indicating that he understood. The teens walked back to their group and continued to watch Clementine and Duck color.

Lilly still looked on amazed but was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Lee say, "Well it's done."

"Not such an easy job, is it?" Lilly asked trying to look like she was normal.

"I never said it was. I don't envy you; I'm not sure how you have the strength to do this every day." Lee replied.

"I usually don't have a choice." Lilly said back.

"Ken, Lee come here please." Katjaa yelled for the two men who approached her with the man without a leg lying motionless in the truck bed.

* * *

"You think my friend is going to be alright?" Ben asked the Lyoko Warriors.

"It's up in the air at this point." Monroe stated bluntly. "If Kat can stitch up his wound and he doesn't lose too much blood, then yeah it's-" Monroe was then interrupted with Katjaa screaming.

"Shit Katjaa!" Lee could be heard screaming.

"What's going on?" William exclaimed.

"I have no idea!" Jeremie replied.

All of the Lyoko Warriors got up and were about to see the commotion but then realized someone had to stay with the kids. "Go!" Aelita exclaimed "Odd and I will keep an eye on Clementine and Duck!" With that, the remaining Lyoko Warriors left.

Jeremie and company rounded the RV just in time to see Lee in the truck bed struggling with the reanimated person that they saved from the woods earlier. Ulrich and Monroe rushed to Lee's aid.

Lee was still struggling with the walker until Monroe and Ulrich pulled the walker off of him, each grabbing one of the walker's shoulders. Yumi then got on the truck bed and fired a shot that landed a bulls-eye to the walker's head.

Everyone stopped to relax and calm down. Carley came up to Lee and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just fine." Lee struggled to breathe out and looked at the Lyoko Warriors and said, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Yumi said as she jumped off the truck bed and onto to the ground.

"Why'd you bring him here in the first place asshole?" Larry exclaimed as he approached Lee.

"Dad, calm down." Lilly said getting in between Larry and Lee.

"You're going to get us all killed!" Larry said storming off.

Kenny was comforting his wife until Ben approached. Kenny built a menacing scowl and he yelled, "Why didn't you tell us he was bitten?"

"What?" Ben said shocked by the accusation.

"He was bitten and you didn't say a damn word!" Kenny explained it to Ben.

"But he wasn't bitten, I swear." Ben explained frantically.

"Well, you're non-bitten friend here came back to life and tried to kill my wife!" Kenny continued to yell progressively louder.

"What…wait you all don't know?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's not the bite that does it." Ben looked around seeing all eyes on him. "You come back no matter how you die, if you don't destroy the brain that's just what happens. It's going to happen to all of us."

Everyone shared shocked faces and the kids looked scared at the possibility. Uncomfortable silence filled the whole area until Monroe was the first to speak, "It makes sense now." Everyone looked at him. "Think about it. How else could there be so many of them?" Monroe explained his previous statement.

"You're right, car accidents, suicides, deaths from natural causes; everything was just making more of them." William added sadly.

Unbeknownst to everyone Carley remained vigilant and watched as two mysterious men came into the clearing from the woods. "Back off!" She exclaimed as she brought up her pistol.

"Whoa, lady, relax." One of the men spoke up. "Me and my brother here, we're just looking for gasoline."

"I said back off!" Carley yelled back as intimidatingly as possible.

"Carley," Lilly said in a disapproving tone.

"We don't want any trouble," Lee told them.

"Of course, neither do we. Me and my brother here were just looking for gasoline. You folks seem to have the motor in locked down which is fine but if you could spare any gasoline, we'd be much obliged." The man with the brown hooded sweat-shirt said.

"Why do you need gas for?" Yumi asked the two men

"Our place is protected by an electric fence. Generators provide the electricity." The man with a blue shirt said.

"Our generators run on gas." The man with the brown hooded sweat-shirt finished his brother's statement. "Listen, I'm Andrew St. John, this here is my brother, Danny. We run a dairy farm a little ways from here and if y'all are willing to lower your guns, we could talk about some kind of trade."

"How are y'all doin on food? We got plenty at the dairy." Danny asked.

Everyone's eyes lit up at the mention of food and Jeremie was the first to speak up, "It might not be bad idea to check it out."

"I agree." Lilly said to Jeremie. She then directed her attention to Lee and asked. "Lee how about you and Mark go check out this place, see if it's legit?"

"I'm coming with you; I've got your back if things seem fishy." Carley said as she turned around and put her pistol back in its holster.

"Me too," William added. "It improves the odds that way without creating too much attention."

"So what're y'all thinking?" Andrew asked from outside the gate.

"You got a deal. We'll bring some gas to your dairy and in exchange, you give us some food to take back. We'll see how it goes from there." Lee said

"Sounds fair, a couple of gallon can keep our generator's going for a while." Andrew replied.

The small group then got ready and headed down to the path that went to the dairy.

"Be careful." Jeremie said to William.

"I'll be fine." William replied as he left with the group but Ulrich couldn't help but think that sending William was a mistake.

Jeremie joined alongside Ulrich who was watching the group leave. Jeremie knew that Ulrich wasn't concerned about William but about the others. "You have to learn to trust him." Jeremie stated.

"Last time, we trusted him with something important; it blew up in our face because of his recklessness." Ulrich replied and he walked away.

Jeremie sighed frustrated that his own friends couldn't trust each other. Aelita approached him and Jeremie said, "I can't believe that Ulrich still doesn't trust William, especially after three months of this mayhem and the fact that William saved his life."

"Give them time." Aelita said in response as she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest. "They'll learn to trust each other at some point. They have to." She whispered in his ear.

"What if they don't?" Jeremie asked completely clueless on how to get Ulrich to trust William.

Aelita's hands fell to her side and her smile was gone. Jeremy turned around to see nothing but sadness in her beautiful face and she stated in a somewhat harsh tone. "Then they'll both die." She then walked over to the rest of the group to allow Jeremie to process what she had just said.

**A/N: First, I want to thank everyone who is still into the story. As you can tell, there is some distrust amongst the group. Aelita is right though, in this world, if you don't trust the person next to you, you may as well put a noose around your neck. Second, this chapter went well; however, I am struggling with the next part. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this part.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is in the perspective of the Lyoko Warriors so there will be a huge section from the game that will be omitted in this part and it is not just the part with Lee and Mark. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or Code Lyoko. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"So this place really has food?" Mark asked the brothers as they moved through the forest along with Ben.

"Yup, we lost most of the cattle but we still have plenty of milk, butter, and cheese stocked up." Andrew explained.

"And with the vegetables we grow, we got plenty of food." Danny added in.

Meanwhile, William stayed back a bit from the group but wasn't as behind as Lee and Carley. Eventually the two walked up to him and Lee asked, "What was going on back there with Ulrich? I think he was about to mention that your school was attacked."

"Well, yeah, we did have a bit of a rodent problem at some point." William said nervously.

"But Jeremie said that the incident was caused by a faulty roof." Lee said crossing his arms.

William had driven himself into a corner but then an idea hits him, "Uh yeah, sometimes Ulrich will confuse the two. Of course, I'm not the person to talk to. Both cases happened before I went Kadic."

Neither Lee nor Carley fully believed him and as a result Lee continued his interrogation. "What's your game, William?"

"No game, my group has told you everything." William replied.

"Apparently not, because we wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise," Carley retorted.

William stopped and turned to face both adults and said, "I don't know what you guys want from me. We told you where we originated from, about our families, and everything else."

Lee then had a moment of realization and asked, "What about Aelita and Monroe? I haven't heard a single thing about their parents."

There was a moment of silence between the three. William felt the tension more than anyone and was about to respond until there was the sound of a fight nearby; two men were exchanging angry threats at each other. "Shit, get down." Andrew whispered sharply. The group went towards the scene where two men were verbally attacking each other.

"Who are they?" Lee whispered curiously.

"Bandits, a bunch of rowdy low-lives that are extremely dangerous." Andrew explained. "Don't worry though, if things get hairy me and Danny will back you up."

"Can't we take them?" William asked.

"No, there is probably more hiding in the area." Danny said. "Hopefully, they'll just pass on through."

Suddenly the argument became extremely intense as one of the bandit yelled, "F*** you!" and kicked his comrade away followed by blasting him a shotgun. He repeated the phrase several times as he shot what was left of his comrade.

William, Carley, and Ben looked on shocked by the extreme form of violence while Mark and Danny tensed up and held up their hunting rifles to shoot the remaining bandit if he was to spot them. The bandit finished his work and said, "Asshole!" and walked away with satisfaction that he murdered his comrade.

"The world out here has gone to shit." Andrew said. "Come on; let's get to the dairy where it's safe." With that they started up toward the road to the dairy leaving the gruesome scene.

* * *

The group of seven travelled up the path as Lee, William, Carley, Ben, and Mark looked in awe at the beautiful farm. "Welcome to the St. John's Family Dairy." Andrew exclaimed happily as the group walked up the path that led to the house. "You can see how we've kept this place so safe." Andrew continued as a reference to their electric fence.

"The fence keeps them out?" Mark asked intrigued by the fact that walkers aren't a problem for once.

"You bet! They fry like bugs in a zapper!" Andrew exclaimed. "We're pushing four thousand bolts of electricity through it with generators and amps."

"I'm going to assume that's a lot." Carley said.

"It sounds like a lot." William added.

They reached the gate with Lee saying, "We've got kids in our group. It doesn't seem safe for them to be close to that fence."

"Oh don't worry about that." Andrew said. "We've got plenty to keep 'em entertained." Andrew continued as a middle-aged woman came out of the house with a basket of biscuits.

"I thought I saw y'all with company coming up the drive." The middle-aged woman said happily.

"Guy's this is our momma." Andrew said introducing the woman.

"Hello, my name is Brenda St. John and welcome to the St. John's Dairy." Brenda said happily.

"This here's Lee; he's from the motor inn near Macon." Andrew said.

Brenda's face went from happiness to concern and asked, "Oh my, that place is very vulnerable. Do you have someone in your group with survival experience?"

"Lilly, she's tough as nails and leads our group." Lee replied.

"She and her dad are ex-military like me" Mark added.

Brenda expressed immediate relief and said, "That's good to hear. That motel is not the safest place, but now that you're here, we can make you comfortable."

"We're awfully hungry." Lee stated as he felt his stomach growl because of the lack of food.

"This is for y'all," Brenda said as she offered the rolls, "Baked fresh this morning."

"Amazing!" William exclaimed as he took the basket from Brenda, both him and Carley ate a couple of rolls.

"You can't make stuff like that anymore, not without a cow for milk and butter." Danny said.

"That's right." Brenda said and then frowned and continued, "Hopefully, Maybelle will get through this bout of whatever she's got and be with us for a good long while."

"Your cow is sick. What she-" Lee started but Mark immediately interrupted him and said. "We have a vet! We can bring her here! We help you folks out!"

Brenda lit up happily and exclaimed, "A vet? Oh my, our prayers have been answered!"

"Maybe our whole group can come down for the day." Mark suggested.

"Well how about this?" Brenda said. "You go get your veterinarian friend and I'll prepare some dinner, a feast for all you hungry souls. It'll be nice to have help around here again." Brenda then directed her attention to Danny and said, "Danny dear, why don't you come and help me with dinner." Danny gave a nod and they left to the house.

"I'll go back and gather everyone for the trip over." Carley said to Lee.

"You might want to take someone with you." Andrew stated. "Remember those roads can be dangerous."

"I can handle myself." Carley responded.

"Here, take this." Mark said handing his hunting rifle to Carley. "Why don't you go ahead and take Ben and William along with you anyway."

"I'd feel better if William at least went with you." Lee said to Carley.

Carley smiled at him and said in defeat, "Alright, but stay safe." She then gave him a small kiss on the cheek and walked down the path. Further into the forest, William gave a very smug look as he stared at Carley. She couldn't take his stare anymore and asked, "What is it William?"

"Oh nothing," William said still being smug, "it's just that you and Lee remind me of Jeremie and Aelita."

Carley glared at the teen as a response and William laughed in return.

* * *

Back at the motor inn, the remaining Lyoko Warriors, Clementine, and Duck were sitting around just hanging out, until Odd broke the silence.

"You know what I miss?" Odd asked no one in particular. "I miss my good ole wonderful dog."

Ulrich chuckled and said, "I don't know Odd; that dog has about half the brain you have and that's saying something."

"Say what you like Ulrich, he did find Aelita didn't he?" Odd said in response.

"Find her? What do you mean?" Duck asked confused.

"I got lost in the woods about a year and a half ago." Aelita said. Duck nodded in confirmation that he understood.

"Was it scary?" Clementine asked.

"Oh you bet; I actually thought Jeremie was more frightened than I was." Aelita replied.

"He was; He was freaking out when he called me to try to find you." Odd remarked.

"Hey, I wasn't that frantic!" Jeremie exclaimed but he only received laughs from the Lyoko Warriors which meant that they didn't believe him.

"There are a lot of things I don't miss from our old lives." Ulrich said.

"Like what?" Clementine asked.

"Where do I begin?" Ulrich asked rhetorically. "Math class, science class, my dad yelling at me to get better grades, everything just didn't work. My friends are the only thing I liked from before and thankfully they're all here." Ulrich finished his statement with a smile and putting an arm around Yumi, who sat next to him.

"You forgot the best thing from our lives before: Sissi." Odd said with a smile on his face.

"Oh no…Odd don't get me started on her." Ulrich said as he slid his arm off of Yumi and used it to pinch the bridge of his nose at all the bad memories of her.

The two children looked on curiously not knowing who Sissi was. Yumi then filled in the blanks. "Sissi was the annoying headmaster's daughter. She had a thing for Ulrich and always bugged us."

The conversation soon came to a halt as William yelled from outside the gate. "We're back." As a response, Jeremie, Kenny, and Monroe pulled the make-shift gate away from the entrance. William, Carley, and Ben entered with a basket of rolls.

"So, what do you got?" Lilly asked curiously. "Does the place have food?"

"Apparently, there is a middle-aged woman named Brenda who said that she will cook us a home-cooked meal if Katjaa comes and checks on their cow." Carley explained.

"Well what's wrong with their cow?" Katjaa asked.

"We don't know; they didn't let us go near the barn." William replied.

"You won't mind checking on their cow, right hon? We need to eat and I'm really worried about Duck." Kenny asked his wife.

"I suppose I don't mind." Katjaa replied.

"Good, then it's settled. Let's head down there." Jeremie said as he headed toward the gate to leave.

"Hold on." Lilly said stopping Jeremie from proceeding any further out the gate by grabbing onto his shoulder, "We can't just leave the motor inn unprotected. Someone has to stay behind."

"I'll stay behind. I had a few biscuits on the way here." Carley volunteered.

"I will too." William said then he turned toward Carley, "You might need back-up if a herd comes through here." Everyone nodded in agreement except for Ulrich who simply glared at William.

"Good." Lilly replied with satisfaction. She then turned to Ben and said, "You stay here too."

"What? Why me? I've never shot a gun before." Ben replied.

"Then this is your opportunity to learn." Lilly said. "Carley is our best pistol shooter and William knows his way around a hunting rifle." Ben reluctantly accepted that he was going to stay at the motor inn and nodded in confirmation. "Alright everyone get ready to go; we leave in a few minutes." With that everyone dispersed. The Lyoko Warriors went into a huddle while Clementine looked around for someone to go with but since she spent a lot of time with just Lee, there weren't many options.

In the congregation of the Lyoko Warriors, Jeremie was the first to ask, "Is it safe over there? Is that electric fence as noteworthy as the brothers were saying?"

William gave a nod and said, "Yeah it looks like it. Andy said that they're pushing four thousand bolts of electricity through the fence."

Jeremie's face showed immense disbelief. "That's amazing! I think it might be a safe call to leave our weapons here." Jeremy stated as he looked at the members who were almost fused to their melee weapons.

"Jeremie's right." Monroe added in his thoughts. "They'll only be paperweights which will burn more calories and quite frankly, we've already lost too many as it is."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement except for Ulrich who asked, "What if a herd comes through and knocks down the fence, then what?"

"You have a point." Jeremie said. "But they probably have guns for protection against human enemies."

"You're right." William said. "On the way up there, there were these two guys in the woods fighting over something." All eyes of the Lyoko Warriors were on William as he continued. "Anyway, the conversation ended in the worst possible way when one of the bandits shot his comrade."

Everyone's eyes widened and Aelita said, "We can't go there. The way isn't safe."

"Safe or not, we have to go. We don't have any food left." Monroe said.

"Monroe's right. Sometimes we have to take risks." Jeremie said. "Wasn't that what we did back at that camp near the road? Each day we awoke not knowing if we would live another day or die the same day we awoke." Clementine started to approach the group of teenagers; she has always found them to be pleasant but the teens apparently hadn't seen her yet.

Yumi then said. "That's because you were there to coordinate us. You know all of our strengths and weaknesses and you have experience with battlefield logistics from Lyoko."

"Yumi's right." Monroe said to the group. "We defeated a very powerful multi-agent system that could have easily ruled the world; but we stopped him. The battles with XANA's monsters gave us experience which gives us an advantage in this world. We know how to fight and with Jeremie's guidance we know how to back up for each other's weaknesses. Whatever this world has to offer, we can take it with or without our melee weapons."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Jeremie then spoke up. "We don't need our weapons; they'll only slow us down." With that, everyone dispersed, Yumi, Monroe, Odd and Ulrich went to put their weapons in their rooms, William went to join Carley and Ben on watch, and Jeremie and Aelita turned around to head towards the gate but they immediately stopped upon noticing Clementine being right behind them. "Oh, hi Clementine, what's up?"

Clementine took a moment to respond. The teens thought that she had just gone up to them; however she heard them all talk about Lyoko and XANA. She finally asked, "Could you two take me to the dairy?" Apparently, Clementine did not want to talk about the subject that she had just discovered about the teens.

Aelita smiled and said, "Of course," and took the young girl's hand. They headed toward the gate where everyone else was and headed out as soon as the remaining teens came out of their rooms. Once they reached the dairy, everyone was flabbergasted by the beauty of it but as they came toward the house, they were shocked at what they saw. Mark had an arrow sticking out of his right shoulder.

"Oh my gosh," Aelita exclaimed, "Mark what happened?"

"He got shot with an arrow." Lee explained the situation.

"Shit, are you going to be ok?" Lilly exclaimed.

"Yeah, I should just pull it out," Mark winced in pain and continued, "but damn it hurts."

"Oh no sweetheart," Brenda approached Mark and continued, "come on, Brenda has got you. Let's head inside and we'll have you all sorted out." Katjaa accompanied Brenda in helping Mark as they went up to the house and Brenda said happily, "Well now you must be the vet…"

"What kind of shit is this?" Larry asked wanting to know what happened.

"We ran into some people on the way up here-bandits I guess-I think they're the ones that shot Mark." Lee explained.

"They gave us a lot of problems too. Killed a bunch of our farm hands but we got them to stop by making a deal with them." Andy explained the origin of these 'bandits.'

Kenny built up a scowl and said, "You knew about these people?"

"Food for protection, not like we had much of a choice but they did stop hassling us," Danny explained.

"Dammit Jeremie, I told you we should have brought our weapons." Ulrich exclaimed.

"Calm down, Ulrich." Yumi said. "It's not like it would have made a difference. Odd's the only one out of all of us who would have the range to keep up with those assholes."

"Wait a minute!" Larry exclaimed. "You guys were in the woods for two and a half months! Why didn't you tell us about these bandits?"

"We've never seen them before." Jeremie answered truthfully. "We've never had the chance of running into them."

"And I'm supposed to believe that." Larry continued.

"Believe it or not, it's a big forest." Odd added. "There could be a whole army of walkers in that forest and we would have never known about them."

"Shut it scrawny!" Larry snapped.

"I'm svelte!" Odd exclaimed but Larry simply ignored Odd and continued to talk with the adults. Odd, however crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled at the insult to his body's physique.

Kenny returned to talking about the bandits and asked, "Do you know where these assholes are?"

"They're hard to pin down but I know where at least one of their camps are." Danny said and directed his attention to Lee, "When you're ready to scope out that bandit camp, come find me." With that, Danny and Andy moved over to have a private conversation leaving the motor inn group to talk about the situation.

"Bandits, are you serious?" Lilly huffed. "We can't stay here; this place isn't safe."

"It's safer than where my group and I were located and we're all still alive." Jeremie said to the group.

"Besides that, we do need to stay here; these people are making us a meal, a meal which wouldn't cost one of our lives to receive." Yumi said.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Lilly said referring to the fact that Mark was injured.

"It usually looks worse than it is." Monroe replied. "It's not a fatal wound by the looks of it. He should survive and recover." Monroe then shifted his focus to Lee. "How was the attack? Was there anyone who used a fire arm or made an attempt to out-maneuver you?"

"No," Lee replied, "they just kept sputtering out random profanity and kept hopelessly shooting at us after they got Mark in the shoulder from a sneak attack."

"Why does it matter?" Kenny asked impatiently.

"That is interesting, these bandits, from what I heard from you and William, have no organization which means taking them out won't be that hard." Monroe said. Everyone agreed to Monroe's logic with a nod.

"I'm going to go out there and help Danny find these bandits; you guys should stay here and try to make friends with Andy and Brenda, while we're gone." Lee said to the entire group.

"Well that's easy. I've got charm coming out of my ass." Larry said.

Lilly and Odd looked disgusted at Larry and Lilly said, "Yeah, that's real charming dad."

"Where's Ben, William, and Carley?" Lee asked curiously.

"William and Carley decided to volunteer to stay behind at the motor inn." Lilly informed Lee. "I had Ben stay behind too, so that he can learn how to use a gun. Someone's got to stay and protect our home."

"Good idea, we will probably return to the motor inn by late evening." Lee responded. In turn, Lilly gave a head nod.

Andy separated from Danny for a moment and said, "Hey kids look what Lee got working for ya?" His hand gestured toward a swing.

Clementine lit up and said, "A swing! I love swings, just like the one at my tree house! Come on Duck!" She instantly lets go of Aelita's hand and she and Duck made a mad dash for the swing. Clementine stopped next to Lee and said, "Thanks Lee, you're the best!"

Aelita smiled at Clementine's joy; for a short time she also shared Clementine's innocence. Jeremie squeezed Aelita's hand to get out of her daydreaming state and he gestured toward the tree stump. They both headed over and took a seat; meanwhile Ulrich and Monroe were having a difficult time convincing Lee that they should come.

"We can help." Ulrich grumbled.

"No, it's too dangerous." Lee responded.

"This isn't our first time of going out there." Monroe replied with his arms across his chest. "We've been out there before; we know how to handle ourselves."

"Against walkers, yes, but you have no experience in fighting people. Killing a person is different than killing a walker and I don't want you two having to experience that yet." Lee said calmly.

Ulrich finally accepted defeat and went to join Yumi and Odd. Monroe, however, stated, "You can't treat us like kids forever. At some point, you're going to need back-up."

"I know but your group has never faced human enemies before and I feel more comfortable being with someone who has experience." Lee replied.

Monroe sighed and said, "Alright, just be careful."

"I will." Lee responded. Lee then left to go talk to Kenny and pushed Clementine on the swing. He eventually left with Danny and made his way into the forest for the camp.

* * *

Aelita, Jeremie, and Monroe were talking when Clementine came up to them.

"Hi." Aelita greeted Clementine with a smile as she always did with everyone. "What do you think of the farm?"

Clementine did not need much time to respond and said, "It's very pretty; it reminds me of a lot about before." Suddenly, Clementine's features shifted from a look of happiness to seriousness. "Who is XANA and what is Lyoko?"

It was the question that the teens dreaded most. Jeremie's eyes widened and Aelita and Monroe shared a look of horror that their deepest secret has been exposed due to their carelessness. After a couple of years of safeguarding their secret, it was exposed and worst of all to an eight-year-old. Jeremie sighed and said, "You do deserve an explanation but I'd rather do it with everyone in front of me and my whole group so that way we can explain it once. In short, XANA was a very evil virus that wanted to destroy the human populace. We used Lyoko to defeat him."

"I understand." Clementine said.

"Clementine, Aelita, Jeremie, Monroe," Katjaa's voice could be heard from where they were. She stood there waving her arm to get their attention. Meanwhile, Andy, Duck, Kenny, Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi were heading to the barn. "Come along, I'm going to check the cow."

Clementine's eyes lit up in glee and she said, "Come on, come on." She grabbed a hold of Aelita's hand and was practically dragging Aelita to the barn until Aelita regained her balance and was then able to walk with Clementine.

Jeremie and Monroe lagged behind, "What do we do?" Jeremie asked.

"Normally, I would leave it in your hands or allow a group vote, but there is only one right answer." Monroe stated. "We have to tell them. It's better to work with the current than against it."

"I don't know if we can." Jeremie said. "We're at each other's throats now, what will the motor inn group think of us after we tell them our deepest secret. How will they react?"

"They'll be angry at first but it will be better to tell them now than to hear it later down the road." Monroe responded as he opened the gate for Jeremie.

"This isn't getting any easier." Jeremie stated bluntly.

Monroe leaned against the door of the barn and said, "From my own personal experience, secrecy is the road of death, misery, and loss. Don't become like my father and lose everything because you wanted to keep your secrets. Sometimes telling your secrets are better than hiding them."

Jeremie sighed and gave a nod of understanding. The two entered the barn while Kenny exited the barn. Katjaa and Andy were sitting on stools. Duck sat cross-legged in front of the cow while Ulrich and Odd were behind him trying to look at the cow themselves. Clementine, Aelita, and Yumi looked affectionately at the farm animal. All three were taken in by the fact that the world still had some beauty to it.

Suddenly Lee came in; Clementine looked from the cow and saw him, "You're back." She smiled.

"Yeah," Lee said as he pulled something from his back pocket, "and I found this." It was Clementine's hat!

"My hat! You found it!" Clementine exclaimed with glee. She grabbed the hat and put it back on her head and continued, "I knew you would find it! You said you would!"

Lee got down to her level and said, "Hey listen did you give your hat to anyone you didn't know at the motor inn."

Clementine's face registered confusion and said, "No."

Lee then asked, "Did you see anyone suspicious around the motor inn?"

"No, why?"

"It's probably nothing just tell me if you see anything like that in the future."

"Ok, I will. Thanks for finding my hat." Clementine replied as Lee got back up.

"You're welcome, Clem." Lee responded.

"Man, it smells like shit in here!" Odd exclaimed.

Ulrich punched him in the arm and said in a serious tone, "Watch your mouth, Odd. There are kids in here." Ulrich referred to Clementine and Duck as kids and continued, "Besides you're probably used to the smell. Your feet smell worse than this."

"Oh come on!" Odd whined. "They don't smell that bad."

"Yes they do." Yumi said without hesitation. "I remember from personal experience, when I took one whiff that I was flat on the ground from that horrible stench."

Everyone chuckled at Yumi's comment (except for Yumi and Odd) about Odd's shoe before returning to their earlier tasks. Out of curiosity, Lee goes to the back of the barn. Kenny comes back in and follows Lee to the back of the barn. They are both talking about something that seems important; however, the Lyoko Warriors pay no attention to them and instead look at the cow until the dinner bell rings.

**A/N: Alright, since this is in the Lyoko Warrior's point of view the portion of Danny and Lee was cut out. Sorry, that's just how I operate.**

**Warning: I will skip the Kenny and Lee going out of their way to find out what the St John's are hiding thing. The next chapter will begin with them all sitting at the table about to eat until Lee comes rushing down the stairs with the St John's secret in mind.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: So sorry that it took me this long to update. I was caught up with Finals and had a term paper to work on. It was hectic! In addition, I did another fanfiction novel but it's relatively short and it's for you anime fans out there. So that you can forgive me, this chapter is very long. Probably, the longest one to date. Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy!**

**Warning: Sorry if this is going to be confusing but I'm going to be switching off and on from Lee's perspective to make this story complete.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

It was a tight fit at the table with so many people but somehow, it worked. Jeremie had finished cutting up Clementine's barbeque meat and gave it back to the girl. She smiled in response and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jeremie responded and was about to eat.

Suddenly, someone yelled, "Don't eat that!" Everyone was shocked and looked at the door way where they saw Lee huffing and somewhat pale.

"Lee, you alright?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah you look like you've seen a ghost." Yumi added.

"Oh sit your ass down Lee; this lady has made you a meal!" Larry said angrily.

"Yeah Lee what has gotten into you?" Lilly asked.

"He just got startled." Brenda said.

"Startled by what?" Aelita asked confused by the statement.

"He could use some damn manners." Larry said angrily.

"You're eating human meat!" Lee exclaimed.

The Lyoko Warriors all looked at their plates. Odd ate the most out of everyone and Jeremie was the only one who didn't eat it since he was helping Clementine. "Wait you're pulling my leg right?" Odd asked hoping the man would say yes. Meanwhile, the rest of his group pushed their plates away from them.

"You're scaring the kids, Lee." Kenny said noticing the teens' reactions.

"Lee what the hell is wrong with you?" Lilly asked.

"Don't indulge him Lilly. There's always something with this guy." Larry said coldly.

"Hold on, this place is not a ranch; they only have one cow." Aelita said. "Where would they have gotten this meat from?"

"Brenda, what the heck are we eating?" Monroe exclaimed.

Suddenly, Katjaa grabbed Duck's plate of food away from him. "Mom, I was eating that!" Duck exclaimed.

"We need to get the kids, everyone, out of here! We need to go now!" Lee exclaimed with a look of fear written all over his features.

Danny, then, spoke up, "Everything could have turned alright for ya folks."

"He would have died anyway; we need to think about living!" Andy added in.

"You're all mad!" Jeremie exclaimed. "I mean what the heck is wrong with you people?"

"Now that is not a very nice thing to say Jeremie." Brenda said unhappily and then focused on everyone. "Growing up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste; it's how I was raised and how I raised my boys. Now you got monsters roaming around that do nothing but eat people and for what, to continue to rot till they eat some more." The motor inn group and the Lyoko Warriors looked on in horror at the woman as she continued. "We figured we could put that meat to better use."

Everyone in the motor inn group then pushed their plate away from them and Lilly groaned "Ugh…I think I'm going to be sick."

"Think about this Brenda. You're outnumbered." Lee said threateningly.

"Now that's not a very nice thing to imply, Lee." She said not intimidated in the slightest. She continued, "Andy is right. We go after people who were going to die anyway, one way or another." As if on cue, there were loud thumps in the hallway which was where the stairs were.

A moment went by and to almost everyone's horror; Mark came in with both of his legs gone. "Pleeease, someone?" He begged as he went across the floor.

"You're a pack of murders!" Yumi exclaimed as she grabbed one of the steak knives and went towards Danny.

"Yumi, no." Aelita exclaimed holding out her hand as if to try and stop her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Andy said raising his pistol. Danny brought up his hunting rifle and the two kept their sights on Yumi. "Drop the knife." Andy said. Yumi hesitantly complied dropping the knife and sat back down next to Ulrich.

"Andy, Danny why don't you take them to the barn?" Brenda asked the two men.

"Yes mama," Danny responded. "Get up all of you." There was no choice, they had to comply otherwise the two men would just fire at them. They all headed out of the house and walked by a dying Mark to the outside. It was pouring rain but they were still forced to move on to the barn. At the very back of the barn, there was a room with blood everywhere along with jars of what looked like human intestines. The group was forced to move past it and went into a meat locker that was further into the barn. Andy and Danny checked everyone for weapons and equipment and confiscated a multi-tool in Lee's possession.

Unfortunately, Lee's multi-tool wasn't the only thing that was confiscated. Before Katjaa and Duck could get in, Andy closed the door and locked it.

"Kat!" Kenny yelled and he ran to the door and continued, "Give me my wife and son back, you sons o bitches!" He pounded on the door in a useless attempt to break it down.

"Alright, does anyone have any ideas?" Monroe asked but all he received were blank stares. Jeremie, on the other hand, found something of interest. Jeremie stared at the A/C unit with heavy interest.

"Found something?" Odd asked smiling to see that his friend must have found a way out. He could practically see the gears turning in that large head of Jeremie's.

"As a matter of fact, I-" Jeremie stated but was interrupted.

"Open up the damn door! You can't keep us in here!" Larry was now pounding on the door of the meat locker and had taken Kenny's place to do his little rant. "You sick f- bastards! Open up! I'll tear you f- apart with my bare hands-"

"Stop that banging! We need to find another way out of here!" Kenny yelled at Larry.

Suddenly, someone was violently throwing up, it was Lilly. "Are you alright?" Yumi asked concerned for the woman's well-being.

"Ugh…I can't believe they made us eat human meat." Lilly said nauseously.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Odd said.

"Try to not think about it." Lee said to them both. Lilly smiled at his caring words.

"Thanks Lee." Lilly replied. Meanwhile, Clementine took a hold Aeilta's hand for comfort and the teenager returned with a comforting grip. However the moment didn't last long as Larry yelled out in pain and collapsed to the ground. "Dad!" Lilly exclaimed as she ran toward the man. "Dad, come on! Dad! Oh my gosh he's not breathing. I think he has had a heart attack!" Lilly said as she tried to perform CPR on him.

"Shit!" Kenny exclaimed. "Is he dead?"

"He's not dead!" Lilly yelled. "Somebody help me!"

"If he's dead-" Kenny said panicking slightly.

"He's not dead!" Lilly interrupted.

"Think about it Lee." Kenny directed his attention to Lee. "You know what has to happen. You know how quick that poor bastard turned at the motor inn."

Clementine looked on in horror until Aelita got down to Clementine's eye level and said, "Just look at me, Clem. Everything is going to be fine."

"You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting!" Odd exclaimed.

"We don't have any other choice." Kenny said.

"There's always a choice. Let's think about this okay?" Ulrich said panicking.

"No, not in this case, our options and time are too slim." Kenny replied.

"What are you saying?" Lilly asked not liking where the conversation was going.

"Lilly I'm sorry, I truly, truly am but in a few minutes, we are going to be stuck in a room with 6' 4", 300 pound seriously pissed off dead guy." Kenny stated bluntly.

"Screw you! We can bring him back!" She yelled back at Kenny. "Lee, Jeremie, someone help me!"

"Lilly can still save him." Lee said trying to reason with Kenny but it was no good.

"I wish she could! Believe me I do." Kenny said. "But that man is dead. You all know what happens next."

"Listen, Kenny, back at the drug store, when we all thought Duck was bit, I gave him the benefit of a doubt maybe we should do the same now." Lee said.

"That was different then. Duck wasn't bit but come on we know this guy ain't going to make it. Remember what Ben said? You got to destroy the brain." Kenny said solemnly. "Come on Lee you can't be on the middle on this one. You got to have my back this time."

"Dammit Lee! I need you, please help me!" Lilly shouted while still trying to perform CPR.

"Jeremie what do we do?" Ulrich exclaimed.

"We help Larry!" Yumi said.

"It's not that simple." Monroe said. "What if he really is dead?"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Yumi exclaimed.

"No, Yumi, he's right." Jeremie said. "We need to consider the situation we're in; all factors need to be considered." Yumi looked on in disbelief until the group heard Lee make up his mind.

"You're right, Ken. We have to do this."

"F- monsters! The both of you!" Lilly screamed.

"Clementine put your hands over your ears." Aelita said. Clementine did as Aelita asked and Aelita hugged Clementine to prevent her from seeing the scene. Aelita, herself, closed her eyes.

The group of teens looked on in horror as Lee and Kenny successfully pulled Lilly from Larry and killed Larry with a salt lick by crushing his head.

"God help us." Kenny said sadly. He got down to Lilly's level as she cried over the loss of her father and said, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't you f- touch me!" Lilly yelled with tears rolling down her face.

Aelita lets go of Clementine with tears running down from her eyes and she sobbed, "It's over." Aelita removed Clementine's hands. "It's over."

"Aelita, are you okay?" Monroe asked as he approached her and crouched down to her level. She hugged him and cried, burying her face in his chest. "Shh…it's okay. It's over now." Monroe knew this was a sore spot for Aelita since she had to watch her own father get murdered in front of her, just like Lilly did. Meanwhile, Lee was comforting Clementine.

Jeremie walked over and asked, "Will she be okay?"

"We'll all be okay as soon as we are out of here." Monroe replied.

"You think that I made the wrong call back there? You think I should have tried to save Larry?" Jeremie asked as he slumped down next to the two.

"I don't know." Monroe responded. "What I do know is we are alive right now. Sometimes things are just meant to happen. Try not to beat yourself up for it. I've beaten myself up over dad's death for so long and it didn't do a damn thing."

Jeremie smiled at his friend's words of encouragement and got up and walked over to the A/C unit. "It's time to get out of here." Jeremie said confidently.

"How do you suppose we do that?" Kenny asked.

"There's an air vent on the other side of this A/C unit. One of us can get to the other side of the vent which is probably in that room we passed earlier." Jeremie explained.

"Does the air conditioner just come off?" Clementine asked.

Lee went over and inspected the unit and looked at the screws. "Maybe we can use something to remove these screws. Anyone have a coin?"

"I have a rock." Clementine said hoping that she could help in some way.

"Good try, Clem but a rock won't help." Odd replied.

No one else had anything of use and Lee sighed and walked over to Lilly and got her attention by saying her name.

She continued to look at her father and said very harshly, "Just leave me the f- alone."

"Larry would want you-" Lee started to say until she got up and yelled, "F- you! You think he wanted this!"

"No of course not," Lee said to try to calm Lilly down.

"You didn't know him! You never gave him a chance!" Lilly said accusingly.

"Maybe not, maybe I should have tried harder but I know he wouldn't want you stay in here." Lee said trying to calm Lilly down.

Yumi approached the two and said, "Larry was a good father; you have to honor his memory by getting out of here."

"I think Jeremie and I have found a way out but we need a coin." Lee stated and continued, "Do you have a coin or something-"

"No." Lilly said somewhat annoyed.

Lee sighed and said, "What about him?" Lee gestured at Larry and continued. "Listen, I know it's a bad time but back at the motel, Larry mentioned something about keeping coins in his pocket."

"What do you want?" Lilly asked grief stricken. "My blessing to loot his corpse?"

"Your permission?" Lee inquired.

Lilly sighed and looked down at Larry. "Do what you have to do," she replied.

Lee looked through Larry's left pocket and said, "Here we go, two quarters and a dime." He then got up and went to the A/C and started to unscrew it. "You got it?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, almost there." Lee responded. He finished unscrewing the A/C unit from its frame and gestured to Kenny to come over.

Together, they got the A/C unit off and both had a look of triumph. "There's our way out Lee." Kenny remarked.

"It's too small for any of us to fit through." Lee said observantly.

The teens looked over at Odd. Odd noticed this immediately and shook his head and said, "No way, I'm going in there."

"You have to; you're the smallest out of all of us, scrawny." Ulrich said with a smirk.

"For crying out loud, I'm svelte!" Odd shouted. "Besides even I'm a bit too big to get up in there."

"Odd's right, that's a very small vent." Jeremie said with a sigh. "What do we do now?"

Everyone was now stumped until they heard Clementine say, "I can do it."

Lee approached her and squatted down to her eye-level and said, "I know you're brave enough."

"I'm scared." Clementine replied to his words of encouragement.

"Remember the treehouse. You held out for days."

"And I saved your life." Clementine chimed in.

"Yeah, that's right." Lee chuckled.

"Ok." Clementine said trying to build up her own confidence.

Lee lifted her up so she could crawl into vent and said, "You're going to be fine."

"What do I do when I get out?" Clementine asked.

"See if you can get to the other side of that door." Lee referenced the door that kept the group locked in the meat locker. With that Clementine started down the vent. Loud echoed thumps rang through the air and each person in the room crossed his or her fingers hoping she wouldn't get caught. She advanced down the vent with a final loud crash which must have been the final part of the vent. They waited for a few seconds until they heard Clementine gasp. "Oh no." Aelita said fearing that Clementine had been caught.

"Hey don't worry; I bet she's fine." Jeremie said encouragingly.

The door finally opened and Clementine came in, ""Are you ok? Did anyone see you?" Lee asked worriedly.

"No, but there's a man outside," Clementine replied.

Kenny started for the door and Ulrich asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get my family back," He replied.

"Kenny!" Lee exclaimed. He turned his attention to Lilly and said, "Lilly, I'm sorry, we need to go."

"For Pete's sake, I didn't even get to say goodbye." Lilly said tearfully.

"We'll stay behind." Jeremie said. "Go ahead and see if you can get your friend to calm down."

Lee nodded and ran off to get Kenny. Monroe and Ulrich also went to the exit. "Where are you two going?" Aelita asked.

"Lee's going to need help." Ulrich said.

"No stay behind." Jeremie said.

"And do what? They're going to need help." Ulrich said.

"I don't want you two getting hurt." Jeremie said.

"And what about Lee and Kenny?" Monroe asked.

Aelita slid her hand on Jeremie's to get his attention and said, "They're right Jeremie. We have to get out of here."

Jeremie looked down for a second and sighed, "Alright, go-" Suddenly, a shot rang out. The group left the meat locker and looked over to see Lee struggling with Danny. Monroe grabbed a sickle and he and Ulrich rushed over as Lee was pushed to the ground. Monroe then used the sickle to surprise Danny and stabbed him in the chest. Danny grunted in pain and was caught off guard as Ulrich then spotted the bear trap on the floor and pushed Danny into it. Danny yelled in pain as he fell into the trap. He then tried to get the sickle out of his chest while the group came towards the front of the barn and Lilly grabbed Danny's hunting rifle.

"You alright?" Monroe asked as he helped Lee get up.

"Just fine, thanks." Lee replied. Kenny walked out of the stall with a saddened look on his face.

"Hey, pal, I'm real sorry. I was going to help you but-" Lee then interrupted Kenny and said, "Don't worry about it Ken. Everything worked out." Kenny smiled at his friend's kindness until he heard Katjaa screamed. "Kat! Come on Lee!" Kenny exclaimed

"In a minute." Lee replied as he grabbed a pitchfork from a nearby hay bale. "I won't be long."

"Forget him Lee, he's not worth it." Jeremie said trying to stop Lee from killing Danny.

"You see? You understand now don't you? You can have me." Danny blurted out. "It's how the world works now. Give part of yourself so others can live."

"Mark never volunteered to be food!" Aelita exclaimed. Jeremie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked at his comforting stare with her angry one. She then frowned and looked down sadly.

"So, that's why you killed that woman in the woods. She was about to spill everything." Lee said angrily.

"You weren't ready. I had to stop her." Danny replied. "You have to keep me alive, if you kill me, the meat gets tainted; you can't eat it!"

"You're already tainted!" Lee said and inched closer with the pitchfork towards Danny. Meanwhile, Jeremie pushed Clementine behind him so she wouldn't have to see what was going to happen next. He also hugged Aelita so she wouldn't have to see the murder that was about to happen.

"You ain't going to kill me like you didn't kill Jolene. You don't have what it takes- Ah!"

Lee raised the pitchfork and he throws it into the bale behind Danny. "No! This is not how the world works now! You won't make me kill you!" Lee said angrily.

All the teens breathed a sigh of relief and Jeremie allowed Clementine to come out from behind him and released Aelita from the hug.

Lilly walked over and said rather coldly, "Screw you Lee. You and Kenny kill my dad but you leave this piece of shit alive." Lilly gestured over to Danny who looked at her angrily.

"There's no time. We're still not out of the woods yet." Jeremie stated. As if on cue Katjaa's screams echoed throughout the farm.

"Lilly can you please just watch Clementine." Lee begged.

"Fine, go." Lilly replied. Lee nodded and headed towards the entrance of the barn and turned back to see Clementine somewhat unhappy, in response he looked forward with a frown.

* * *

**Lee's POV**

Lee exited the barn and crouched down to see if there was any sign of Kenny; however he was only met with rain, corn, and dark skies. Suddenly, he heard rustling from the bushes and looked over. He saw the silhouette of woman and automatically knew who it was. "Carley."

"Lee." Carley said as she came out of the bushes. William then followed coming into view, followed by Ben who yelped. They hushed him and Carley asked, "What's going on, Lee?"

"We need your help." Lee responded.

"Yeah, I figured as much. You guys didn't come back so we got worried." Carley said. "What happened?"

"Larry's dead. They chopped off Mark's legs and tried to feed them to us." Lee said.

"Is Yumi alright?" William asked frantically.

"Yes, she's fine." Lee replied. "They have Duck and Katjaa in the house and I don't know where the heck Kenny is."

"Okay, we're coming in to help." Carley replied.

"The front gate is too heavily guarded. Try to go around back." Lee suggested.

"Okay we'll do that, and Lee, be careful." Carley said as she took William and Ben to try and out-maneuver the St. Johns.

Lee approached the house slowly and quietly but not quietly enough. Brenda could hear someone come up to the house and she yelled, "Danny is that you? What's going on out there?"

"Where is Katjaa and Duck?" Lee asked as he got up and approached the house.

Lee reached the door and opened it to see Brenda take ahold of Katjaa and said, "Get over here." Katjaa provided some resistance but stopped altogether when Brenda shoved her handgun into Katjaa's face. Brenda then yelled, "Lee get back! Don't you come in here." Lee refused to back down and entered the house. "You just had to go snooping around, didn't you?" Brenda asked as she kept the gun pointed to Katjaa's temple.

"Let her go Brenda. You know you don't want to do this." Lee said while he approached Brenda very cautiously.

"Just go away and leave us be." Brenda said as she dragged her hostage up the stairs. Lee continued to approach Brenda until she trained the gun on him. "Lee, don't you take another step." Her whole hand could be seen shaking with the gun as she pointed it at Lee. She didn't want to kill him.

"Think about your farm, Brenda. Would Terry wanted any of this?" Lee asked.

"Just go away and leave us be." Brenda replied as she dragged Katjaa up the stairs more. Lee approached again until Brenda raised her gun and yelled, "I don't want to kill you Lee." Lee noticed something that would end the stalemate which was a reanimated Mark wanting to get a hold of any human flesh it could and Brenda was very close to it.

"Please, Brenda." Lee pleaded. "You don't want to do this."

"Just stop," Brenda replied as she back away from Lee but then was grabbed by Mark. She screamed in pain as Mark tore into her flesh and she lost her grip on Katjaa.

"They took Duck!" Katjaa exclaimed. "Where's Kenny?"

"Don't move asshole!" Andy could be heard yelling.

"Don't you freaking hurt him!" Kenny yelled.

"Oh my gosh!" Katjaa exclaimed as she ran out of the house with Lee close behind her. The scene didn't look good as Kenny snarled at Andy while Andy pointing the gun to Duck's head.

"Andy don't!" Lee exclaimed as he approached them. Andy took the rifle's sight off of Duck for a second and with a risky charge, Kenny tried to get Duck back but ended up getting shot for his efforts. Ketjaa screamed at the sight of Kenny getting shot and she quickly rushed to his side. "Andy." Lee said calmly.

"Who the f- do you think you people are?" Andy exclaimed. "All we wanted was some damn gasoline."

"Just calm down." Lee said as he approached Andy.

"Calm down?" Andy exclaimed as he did Carley managed to line up her sights and fired. She shot his ear to distract him, while Lee used the opportunity and wrestled with Andy over possession of the rifle. Eventually, Lee got the upper hand through his raw strength, however, both men still fell from the hill that the house sat on and smashed through the fence.

After falling, Andy quickly regained his composure and kicked Lee. He then went to turn on the electric fence. "Get up. Get the f- up." Andy said angrily and started to drag Lee to the electric fence and tried to push Lee into it. Just as Lee was about to be shoved into the fence which had enough electricity to act as an electric chair, a shot rang out.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Andy fell limp on the ground, dead. Almost everyone looked on in horror and Lee got up to see that Andy had been shot in the head. "What the heck?"

Carley looked over to William who was in the position to have taken the shot. "That was you?" Carley asked.

"Yeah, he gave me no other choice." William replied. Just then several walkers were coming out from the field. The electric fence must have run out of juice. "They're getting in!" Clementine exclaimed as her eyes widened.

"Let's go." Lee said and everyone regrouped around him and started to walk away from the farm. Lee lead the group back while the teens talked amongst themselves.

"Thanks for today." Jeremie said to William.

"I wish I didn't have to kill that guy." William replied remorsefully. "I mean it's not like before."

"None of this is like before." Monroe said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." William said he then continued. "You guys go on ahead. I want to talk to Ulrich."

"Okay." Jeremie said and everyone advanced except for Ulrich.

"I know I messed up in the past but I need you to trust me." William said angrily as they continued through the woods.

"Why? You don't deserve any of our trust." Ulrich asked harshly.

"You know what? You're right; I don't deserve it but please give me a chance to redeem myself." William replied. Ulrich frowned as William continued, "I saved your life. Doesn't that change things at all?"

After a long pause between the two Ulrich said something that William never though he'd hear from his friend. "I'm sorry." Ulrich replied. "It's just that before…you almost helped XANA won and I just don't know who to trust anymore."

William smiled and said, "I don't blame you. You don't want anyone from our group getting hurt. It's understandable."

"But not excusable." Ulrich stated bluntly.

"Hey come on; we're friends. Let's just forgive each other for our short-comings." William said.

"Deal," Ulrich replied and he offered his hand for a handshake. William accepted it and they caught up with the group.

As they rejoined the teens, everyone heard Duck ask, "Dad, what's that noise?"

"It sounds like a car." Kenny replied.

"Oh no not more strangers," Ben said.

"Only one way to find out." Odd said as he walked by the two and crouched down to the ground and went towards the car, which was a Volkswagen. He finally reached the car and looked in and sighed as he saw that the gas gage was on empty. "Figures." He said as he turned off the car and pocketed the keys.

"Oh shit!" Kenny exclaimed as he stared at the trunk of the Volkswagen "Baby you got to see this. There's a shit load of food and supplies back here."

Katjaa took a look and said, "This food can save all of us!"

"Not all of us." Lilly glared at Kenny particularly as Kenny gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Look we don't know if these people are dead." Ben said not wanting to get involved in taking the supplies.

"If we just take this stuff, we would just be monsters that came out of the woods and ruined their lives." Aelita said in agreement.

"This stuff isn't ours." Clementine added in.

"Dad whose car is it?" Duck asked.

"It doesn't matter, it's ours now." Kenny replied.

"It's abandoned Ducky. Don't worry." Katjaa said reassuringly.

"But what if it's not," Clementine asked. Everyone now stared at the eight-year-old and she continued, "What if it's not abandoned? What if it is someone's?"

"She's right, we can't just take this stuff." Ulrich said.

Lee stepped in front of Clementine and said, "We have to take this stuff. We need it in order to survive."

"Who said it was your decision?" Lilly asked as she approached Lee.

"Lilly, I really hate telling you this, but you're in no shape to make a decision." Monroe stated coldly.

"What?" Lilly exclaimed.

"Loss can cloud your judgment, so I think the decision comes down to Lee and Kenny." Monroe explained but all he received was a death glare from Lilly.

"Do whatever you want; the rest of us are taking this stuff." Kenny said and then directed his attention to Odd. Odd nodded and threw the keys to Kenny; he opened the trunk and he and Lee were able to get all of the supplies out of the trunk and handed them off to the willing members of the group.

Carley approached Lee, Jeremie, and Monroe as they talked about what happened over at the St. Johns. Lee was paying half attention and looked on and saw that Clementine was conflicted whether taking the hooded sweater was morally right or wrong. "I found some batteries in one of those boxes." Carley said to Lee. "I thought we could use them to get that camcorder working." She then directed her attention to Clementine and said, "Here, you can have some too, for your walkie-talkie." Clementine smiled and accepted the batteries.

Lee however had a smirk and said, "Batteries, huh? You think you can handle those?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Carley asked as she started up the camcorder. "Uh, Lee, Jeremie, Monroe, you may want to take a look at this."

On the camcorder was a video of a woman spying on the group with bandits in the background. After it was done, Lee, Carley, Jeremie, and Monroe shared worried expressions. After a couple seconds, Lee finally spoke up, "Well what now?"

"We're out-maneuvered." Monroe stated bluntly. "It's only a matter of time till they take advantage of it."

"We need to move on." Jeremie said.

"It's not that easy. I mean we don't know what's out there." Lee said panicking. "And the kids…"

"We'll think of something." Carley said trying to calm everyone down. "For now, we better head towards the motor inn; these woods are not safe anymore." With that they ran for the motor inn. Both Jeremie and Monroe exchanged worried expressions, unsure of what will happen.

**Unfortunately, this experience was only the beginning; the Lyoko Warriors will now be heavily tested. Now, more than ever, they will have to rely on each other. Also, they will need to rely on others which means no more secrets…**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

**2 Days after the St. Johns**

"I'm not sure about this. I mean they won't believe us." William said to Jeremie.

"We aren't sure how they will take it but I do know trusting someone is getting harder as each day passes." Jeremie said. "Clementine already knows; it's over."

Ulrich sighed and said, "Einstein's right, think of what will happen when they find out from someone other than us. That'll make them distrust us even more." With that the teens went about and asked everyone to gather around the sofa that was set up outside.

"So what's up?" Kenny asked. "What could be so important that we all had to stop at what we were doing?

"We needed to talk about our past to everyone." Jeremie said seriously.

"Wait, we already know you guys came from Kadic Academy that's located in Boulogne-Billancourt, France." Lee stated.

"Yes but there's more to it than that?" Jeremie said.

"Like what?" Lee asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Jeremie sighed and looked over to Monroe and said, "Well it all starts with you and Aelita."

"Alright then, twenty years ago, my father, mother, Aelita, and I lived in the mountains of Switzerland until Anthea, our mother, was abducted. To this day, we still don't have a clue on what happened to her." Monroe said sadly and continued. "The men who abducted her were my father's employers. They were very powerful and they threatened to take from him, Aelita and me next. With that we moved to the Hermitage to have a fresh start. Unfortunately, we didn't stay hidden for long. The men that worked on Project Carthage with my father found us while father had succeeded in creating Lyoko and a special AI, known as XANA."

"I must be missing something, what's Project Carthage?" Kenny asked.

"Project Carthage was going to be used to intercept enemy communications, but daddy realized that the success of this project would make him and us a target, so he abandoned his work." Aelita explained.

"Wait, one thing doesn't add up." Carley said. "You said twenty years ago?" Monroe nodded and she continued, "It can't be. You're fifteen and Aelita's fourteen." The motor inn group nodded in agreement.

"We fled to Lyoko when the Men in Black found us. While you are in Lyoko, you will not age. You're whole body will be transferred and made into data. However, you can be connected to the Lyoko which makes half of your being into data." Monroe replied and looked at Aelita as he mentioned the last part.

"Wait, are you saying that half of Aelita became data?" Lee asked trying to wrap his head around the concept.

"Yes, and funny thing, she developed a serious case of amnesia from the incident. She didn't remember who I was nor did she remember what happened on Earth. But of course, Jeremie will now take over." Monroe said looking over to Jeremie.

Jeremie smiled and said, "Nine years after, Monroe and Aelita went into Lyoko, I went to the factory that contained the supercomputer and started it up. There, I met Aelita while trying to find mechanics for my robots. Soon, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd joined in on the secret and helped us against XANA and help get Aelita out of the supercomputer."

"Wait what about Monroe and William?" Lee asked.

"Monroe was quite unique, the first time we met him was when Ulrich, Yumi and Aelita were in the forest sector and were cornered by a pack of XANA's monsters known as Krabs. Unlike Aelita, he retained his memory and could return to Earth easily. As for William, we let him on but it backfired."

"What do you mean by backfired?" Lilly asked.

"I was stupid and arrogant. I…" William started but trailed off.

"William fell onto XANA's possession and became one of XANA's best pawns against us." Jeremie stated bluntly.

"You should know by now that everyone makes mistakes, William. My father could write a book about that." Monroe said.

Jeremie continued, "At some point, we were able to release William from XANA's possession."

"Okay so what did this XANA want?" Carley asked.

"It was rogue program that wanted complete control of the world." Monroe said.

"Ain't that just science fiction?" Kenny said still trying to absorb everything that the teens said.

"It's true." Odd said. "Aeltia and I came across one of his armies when we went to an abandoned factory located in Malaysia."

"They were capable of attacking too." Aelita stated. "I'm just glad that Odd and I didn't get hurt from the experience."

"XANA has done attacks like this before and one was similar to this." Jeremie said.

"Wait, wait, if that is true then this whole attack is from some damn computer virus?" Kenny said with a scowl.

"That's what we thought at first too but easily rolled that possibility out." Yumi replied.

"What makes you think that this XANA is not responsible for all of this?" Lilly asked angrily crossing her arms over her chest.

"Three reasons," Jeremie responded. "One, XANA's attack of using walkers was very small and only affected our small town. Two, if it is XANA behind the walkers, then the walkers would be trying to get rid of us, me and my group since we're the only ones who can stop him. However, the walkers seem mindless and don't have particular aim towards anyone. And third and most important, XANA is dead. We killed him after he murdered Franz Hopper, Aelita's and Monroe's father."

Everyone's eyes widened and they all looked on surprised. Kenny then asked, "If this XANA was so dangerous, why didn't you guys go to the police about this? Why get so involved?"

"The people who worked on Project Carthage would have taken Aelita and Monroe away and we would never see them again." Yumi said sadly thinking of the possibility of the event happening.

"So wait a minute, what about the attacks? Wouldn't they have created some attention within your country?" Lee asked.

"Normally yes, but the reason why they went unnoticed and why no one has ever discovered our secret was because of a program that my father stumbled upon while working on the supercomputer." Monroe said and continued, "The program is known as Return to the Past. In basic terms, a huge blast of data is released and it throws time backwards but not significantly, a day or two at the most. But it was very dangerous to use. Every time, we used that program, XANA would learn from us and get stronger."

A few minutes passed as the motor inn group were trying to process all the new information. Then Kenny said solemnly, "So there's no way of fixing any of this?"

"I'm afraid not." Ulrich replied.

"You guys kept this a secret from us this long so why tell us now?" Lilly asked scowling at the teens.

"Two reasons, we want you to trust us. We figured if we tell you our deepest, darkest secret then there would be less distrust amongst our groups." Jeremie said and then he extended his hand toward Clementine. "The other reason was that Clementine overheard us talk about our past and we promised her that we would explain everything."

"Lyoko kind of gave us an advantage in this world." Odd said trying to lighten the mood.

"How so?" Carley asked.

"We're more agile and more resourceful which is why we've never had casualties." William said. "Lyoko made us ready for this world."

"So are we all good?" Jeremie asked the motor inn group.

A few minutes passed with awkward silence dominating the area until Lee smiled and said, "Thanks for trusting us enough to give out a secret that big."

"Yeah, thank you, it means a lot." Clementine said happily.

"That is so cool. You guys are like real superheroes! That is so awesome!" Duck exclaimed.

Katjaa smiled at her sons delight and said, "Thank you for trusting us."

"Beats whatever I did in school at the age of fourteen." Carley said happily.

"I…I just don't know. I mean you guys hid this from us for this long." Kenny said sadly.

"Try not to take it personal. We didn't let William join until very late in our battle against XANA. We only distrusted you because it's a very complicating secret. And we also wanted to protect Aelita and Monroe. If our secret was to ever be revealed to the wrong people, then it would be possible that the Men in Black would return and take Aelita and Monroe to who knows where" Jeremie said. He became frantic at the last part until Aelita held his hand and gave a comforting smile in his direction. He breathed in and out very slowly and tried to relax.

"Still, I don't even know if you guys are telling the truth or whatever." Ben said.

"That's part of the reason why we don't tell many people because they wouldn't believe us." Yumi said.

"All we're trying to do is to show that we can be trustworthy." Ulrich added.

With that, the two groups disbanded some of the motor inn group didn't trust the teens and some did. "So the big secret is out." Monroe stated bluntly.

"Only time will tell if they will trust us." Jeremie said solemnly.

**5 Days Later**

Four people ran through the streets of Macon, a once beautiful town full of life but now was filled with abandoned cars, trash, and the stench of the undead but of course anyone who was still alive at this point had built a tolerance toward the smell. Lee, Kenny, Ulrich, and Odd reached the end of the street and looked down it to see the pharmacy. Kenny observed the street and happily said, "Today seems to be our lucky day."

"Yeah, things might not go to hell for once." Odd said happily.

"You might be right Odd." Lee chuckled and the four advanced toward the pharmacy.

Kenny smiled and asked, "Lee where do you come down when it comes to leaving or staying?"

"We should go. The motor inn has ran its course; it's not safe." Lee replied.

"Yeah well, Lilly is dead set on staying." Ulrich said.

"And what about you and your group, Ulrich?" Kenny asked.

Ulrich sighed and said, "Jeremie wants to leave. He's scared that Lilly is losing her sanity. He doesn't want Aelita around that and I have to admit neither do I. Additionally, Monroe says that those bandit friends of ours have us out-maneuvered."

Lee raised a suspicious eye brow and asked, "I thought you liked Yumi?"

"I do, Aelita is like a sister to me. I don't love her like Jeremie does. Her and my relationship is like hers and Monroe's" Ulrich replied taken a bit back by the man's assumption.

"Well either way, we could always use a helping hand from your group." Kenny said as they finally reached the truck which blocked the way to get into the pharmacy. "You first." Kenny said to Odd.

"Why me?" Odd asked.

"Because you barely weigh anything which is surprising considering how much you eat." Ulrich replied.

Odd sighed and started to climb the ladder and got on top of the trailer, Ulrich sighed and started to shakily climb the ladder. "Okay just don't look down." Ulrich whispered to himself. He climbed near the top and then Odd grabbed his hand and helped him up.

Kenny climbed the ladder next while Odd asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah I just want to get off this trailer as quick as possible." Ulrich replied terrifyingly.

"Shit." Kenny said surprised as the ladder broke off.

"What's up?" Lee asked as he turned around.

"The ladder broke off; I don't think there's any trip left in her." Kenny said.

"I don't think there's many trips left in us." Lee replied. Lee then walked up to the ladder and pulled on it to inspect its sturdiness. It failed as the ladder broke off; Lee lets go of the ladder as it fell to the ground with a thud. Ulrich shook uncontrollably from the sound, and Lee noticed his reaction. "Ulrich, you alright? What's wrong?"

Kenny turnned around and saw the boy shaking violently. "You alright, kid?" Kenny asked concerned for the teen. "You don't look good."

"He's got vertigo pretty bad." Odd said. "So the faster we get off this trailer, the better."

"Well okay, I'm working on it." Lee said as he looked around the area for anything that could be useful. He then spotted an army jeep that had a wench. He grabbed the hook and started to pull it towards the trailer.

"You know, I may have been a little skeptic and harsh to you guys, but I am thankful that you told us your secret the other day." Kenny said to Ulrich and Odd.

"Yeah, no problem. I have to admit though that was some shady crap taking stuff out of that Volkswagen a couple days before." Ulrich said as he sat down trying to calm down and control his rapid breathing.

Meanwhile, Lee successfully attached the wench to the truck's axle and returned to the switch to activate the wench. "I know but we didn't have a choice." Lee said as he turned on the wench and the jeep bumped against the trailer.

"Whoa!" Ulrich yelped and he began to hyperventilate.

"Okay Ulrich. Come on let's get off this thing." Odd said offering his hand to his friend. Ulrich accepted his friend's assistance and the two headed for the ladder on the other side. They slowly declined from the trailer when they heard screaming. "What's going on?" Odd yelled as he climbed up the ladder.

"It's a girl we have got to help her." Lee replied.

Ulrich dropped from the ladder and onto his feet and muttered. "I'm not going back up there." Suddenly, Ulrich felt something grab him by the ankle and made him trip. The thing that grabbed him turned out to be a crawler, and he struggled with the crawler that was hidden underneath the trailer as it tried to chomp on his neck. "Odd!" Ulrich yelled.

Odd ran towards the other side of the trailer and saw Ulrich struggling with the crawler. He aimed with his crossbow and fired. The bolt hits directly in the crawler's skull. Suddenly, there was a loud shot from behind Odd. Odd turned around to see that the shot was made by Lee who killed the woman to prevent her from suffering.

Ulrich pushed the crawler off and looked on in horror as walkers came towards the trailer. Odd, Lee, and Kenny descend from the ladder as Ulrich expertly sliced three nearby walkers and killed them one at a time. He sliced the first one's leg in half to make it less mobile. He then adjusted his body to kick the second walker's shin; the walker fell as Ulrich impaled it with his katana. Ulrich then pulled the blade from the dead walker and performed an upward diagonal slash to the third walker, killing it. As he killed the third walker, the first walker crawled towards him with an outstretched hand until Ulrich retrieved his sword from the third walker and stabbed the first walker in the back of the head.

"Come on, Ulrich." Kenny yelled. Ulrich sheathed his katana and runs inside with Kenny. They looked at the door and Kenny said, "Sturdy as hell but we do not have a lot of time." Kenny ran into the pharmacy and pushed a knocked down aisle back up. "Get as much as you can get from these racks."

Ulrich, Lee, and Odd grabbed as much medication and food from the racks until the door busted down and the walkers were starting to try get in through pharmacy door. "We need to leave now." Ulrich said as he slid across the counter.

Odd followed and finally Lee until a couple of walkers broke the door down. "Kenny help!" Lee yelled as he struggled to push the door off. Kenny ran over and helped Lee. Meanwhile, Odd shot both walkers.

Kenny was finally able to get the door off of Lee and he raised his pistol at a walker approaching the group. "The fridge." Kenny said gesturing to the object. Lee went to the object and pushed it over as a walker entered the room.

Ulrich backed away towards the exit until he heard a groan. He turned around and drew his katana and diagonally sliced a walker in a pilot suit in half. "We need to get out of here." Ulrich said as he sheathed his katana. The other three nodded and headed for the exit which was a hole in the wall.

* * *

The four entered the gate of the motor inn. Lee looked over and saw Clementine playing with her radio and smiled. Meanwhile, Yumi noticed Ulrich and ran towards him smiling. "Welcome back." Yumi said happily as she hugged him.

Ulrich returned the hug and after a few seconds they separated and he said, "I'll talk to you later." He then ran toward Lilly's room.

Ulrich arrived just in time to see Kenny knock on Lilly's door. She opened the door with an emotionless stare and asked, "What'd you get?"

"Looks like we have the kid on watch again." Kenny said gesturing to Ben. "Might as well put a sign up that says, 'Men are gone; come rape our woman and children."

"I really didn't need that mental image, Kenny." Ulrich said angrily.

Lilly gave a small sarcastic laugh at the man's humor and asked again, "Seriously, what did you get?"

"Lots of stuff." Lee replied as he, Odd, and Ulrich handed their bags to Lilly. Lilly inspected the bags and said, "Good job, we keep going like this and we'll make it through the winter here."

"The winter!" Kenny exclaimed. "We'll freeze our asses off here."

"And piling into an RV after what you two did to my dad makes me feel so safe." Lilly said coldly.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kenny asked rhetorically. "You know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe."

"We do what's best for the kids." Lee said. "Isn't that obvious?"

"It's suicide to go out there." Lilly protested.

"We'll die in here." Kenny shot back.

"You're right." Lilly said coldly. "You can look at one of us and just kill us in our sleep."

Both Odd and Ulrich were starting to feel the tension and they soon walk away from the arguing adults as Carley and Katjaa arrived. Jeremie approached the two and asked, "They at it again?" Then the rest of the teens approached to join the conversation.

"You know it." Ulrich replied.

"This is getting dangerous." Monroe stated bluntly.

"In what way?" Aelita asked.

"Kenny and Lilly are always at each other's throats which makes the group dysfunctional, not to mention that Lilly is a lose cannon ready to blow." Monroe explained.

"It's not going to be easier out on the road!" Lilly bellowed. The teens looked over as she bellowed again. "How would I know? I know you're not above murder! I know someone is stealing from our supplies! That's right stealing and the list of people that I trust gets smaller every day! Now everyone get out!" Everyone who was at the door walked out and gathered around to talk.

The teens walked over and Jeremie asked, "What was that all about?"

"What do you think, Einstein?" Kenny asked. "Lilly blew up."

"You understand Ken." Katjaa replied to Kenny's spitefulness.

"One things for certain, things are definitely not getting any easier." Kenny remarked. He then headed for the couch with Katjaa walking close behind.

"Lee, what did Lilly mean by someone stealing supplies?" Jeremie asked.

"I don't know but I'm about to find out." Lee said as he walked back into Lilly's room.

"Is he suicidal?" Odd asked.

"Shut up, Odd. Lilly is having a rough time." Yumi scolded.

"Rough or not, she's really dangerous." Monroe said. "She has lost the last person that meant something to her." Monroe then shifted his focus to Aelita and said, "Be very careful around Lilly. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Now hold on, you don't think she would just hurt one of us, do you?" Ulrich asked.

"Hurt and rage can make you do a lot of stupid crap." Jeremie replied. "I think we should all be careful around Lilly."

With that the teens disbanded. Monroe, Aelita, and Jeremie went over to Clementine and drew with her. Yumi and Ulrich caught up with each other in the day's events. And Odd and William discussed a fight scenario between two comic characters.

* * *

After a while, Lee approached Jeremie, Clementine, Aelita, and Monroe and asked, "What's that you working on Clementine?"

"It's called a leaf rub. My teacher, Ms. Moore, taught me how to make it when we went to the Botanical Garden once." She held up her paper which had a sketch of a leaf on it and said, "See it's the same. Well kind of."

"Now, that's really something." Lee said.

"Yeah, nice job, Clem." Aelita praised the young girl while she held onto Mr. Puck. Clementine smiled and replied, "Thank you Lee and Aelita. I'll make you one."

"You really like that doll, Aelita." Lee observed.

Aelita held up the doll and said, "This is Mr. Puck; he was the last gift that I ever got from… mommy." She looked down sadly and stared intensely at the doll.

Lee's eyes softened and he said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"No, don't worry about it. I'm okay." Aelita responded her voice cracking slightly as she wiped away a couple of tears and she went back to drawing while placing Mr. Puck on her lap.

"You guys feel safe here?" Lee asked.

"It's safer than our camp." Monroe stated.

"That's not what I'm asking though." Lee replied.

"To be honest, there are worse places out there. I mean here we have beds and shelter." Jeremie added. "Some places don't even have that. Of course, it would be more comfortable if our neighbors weren't as hostile."

"Yeah." Lee said. He then asked seriously, "Can I talk to you guys about something very important?"

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Jeremie asked.

"Three months ago, I was on my way to jail for committing a crime." Lee said shocking the teens. They looked on in disbelief but soon shook it off. "I wanted to tell you guys because I didn't want you knowing in any other way."

"Well, okay then," Jeremie said struggling to comprehend what he heard. "Thanks for trusting us."

"Yeah, that isn't easy revealing a part of your past." Monroe added. "We appreciate it."

"You guys had to do the same thing." Lee replied and he turned his attention to Clementine and Aelita and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I understand." Clementine responded solemnly. Aelita gave a nod as a sign that she also understood.

"Alright, you guys can go back to doing your things." Lee said. He then walked over to Yumi and Ulrich and said the exact same thing to them about his past.

"There's no way you could have been a criminal." Ulrich said shocked.

"It's true." Lee said.

"For what reason would you do something like this?" Yumi asked frustrated.

"He and my wife, they were…" Lee trailed off with both teens looking at him sympathetically. "It wasn't just a one-time case where I blew my top; there were a lot of factors leading up to…what happened."

Ulrich and Yumi stared at each other. They looked back to Lee with a sympathetic look and Yumi put a hand Lee's arm. "I'm sorry that something like that happened to you."

"Look, I know I've only known you for three months but I know you're not some psychopath." Ulrich said. Lee smiled and Ulrich continued. "I trust you."

"Thank you, both of you." Lee said. "I just wanted you to know who I was."

"We already know who you are." Yumi said. "You're someone who cares about other people and someone who has a soft spot for family." Yumi said the last statement while looking over at Clementine.

Lee smile and said, "I only got to tell Odd and William. I already told everyone else but Lilly."

"That might be for the best." Yumi said. "I really like Lilly, but she's not very stable right now."

Lee nodded and walked over to William and Odd and said, "Hey fellas."

"What's up?" William asked.

"I need to tell you both something that is very serious." Lee said.

"Serious huh? I'm not sure if Odd takes anything seriously." William said smirking.

Odd laughed sarcastically and said, "Alright Lee, shoot."

"Three months ago, I was on my way to jail for committing a crime." Their eyes widened but they were only surprised for a second.

"Sick did you get any prison tattoos?" Odd asked with a mischievous smile.

"No I didn't get that far." Lee said smiling at the young boy's cheerfulness

William punched Odd on the arm and said, "What part about this being a serious conversation did you not get?"

"Ouch! Okay take it easy! It was an honest question!" Odd exclaimed as he rubbed his arm.

Lee smirked and said, "Alright you two, I need to go and check something out." They nodded and Lee left to investigate to where their missing supplies would be. He had already found the broken glass and a symbol on the other wall. Now he needed to figure out who was using the pink chalk…

**A/N: Okay again, I'm going to cut out a bunch of in-game dialogue between Lee and some of the characters. The next chapter starts with the bandits rounding everyone up while Lee is talking to Lilly. Also, I know XANA just wanted to survive instead of taking over the world but I wanted to make him seem evil.**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: You guys are ****REALLY**** going to hate me in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Lee's not bad, right?" Clementine asked Jeremie, Aelita, and Monroe.

The three were caught off guard by the girl asking such a question, but Jeremie still responded, "Of course he's not bad, Clementine. I promise. He's just like me and my group. He has a very complicating past."

"He's still good ole Lee." Aelita said. "He told you about his past because he doesn't want to hide anything from you. He wants you to trust him."

Clementine stared down sadly and tried to think of what would be the best course of action. Should she tell them of the mystery man on her radio?

She was about to speak when suddenly she noticed someone behind Monroe. His face was covered by a ski mask and couldn't be identified. "Get up and go over there with your friends." The ski-masked man said intimidatingly. Not having much of a choice the four did as the bandit asked and walked over to where Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, Ben, William, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi were. Another bandit had Odd's crossbow pointed at Carley as they descended from the stairs. "You don't f****** steal from us!" The bandit yelled and went into a rant. After ranting for a minute or two he said, "Drew start putting your foot to these doors."

"Yeah!" Drew exclaimed and he headed toward one of the doors until Lee walked out with his hands up.

"Hold it, asshole!" The supposed leader said as he raised a handgun toward Lee's direction.

"Just take it easy." Lee said trying to diffuse the situation. Lee then saw Clementine who seemed very frightened. This angered Lee and he said, "Why are you doing this? Just leave us the f*** alone!"

"Why? Because we got to that's why." The leader spat.

"We can split the supplies, spread them around." Lee said.

"Or we can just kill you and take them all." The leader responded.

"And what happens when you run out? When you don't have us out there collecting them for you?" Lee asked.

The leader lowered his gun and said, "Well, I suppose we ought to hash out some terms then."

"I don't like no hash." One of the bandits said.

"Man shut up or I'll-" Suddenly a shot from a hunting rifle stopped the leader all together with a shot to the head and he fell to the ground. The shooter, Lilly looked unremorseful as she readied the rifle for another shot.

"F***!" One of the bandit exclaimed.

"Oh shit, move!" Ulrich exclaimed and they scattered with the exception of Odd and Carley.

Carley picked up the dead bandit's gun and shot the bandit who was carrying Odd's crossbow. She fell to the ground dead while Odd leapt for his crossbow. Meanwhile, Carley took aim at another bandit. The bandit raised his arms up in surrender but Carley pulled the trigger anyway. Unfortunately, gun clicked indicating that it was empty. Carley looked on shocked as the bandit smiled evilly and set his sights on Carley but he never made the shot. Odd shot him with an arrow and the two ran for cover while Lee dealt with the last bandit.

The last bandit high-tailed it for the other side of the motel's make-shift wall. Lee managed to shoot him but he still managed to get over. He did a very sharp whistle which indicated to his compatriots to attack. Two of the bandits were pushing the dumpster that acted like a gate out of the way while a few others were pushing the dumpster from the other side. To the rear bumper of the RV, Ben, Carley, Odd, Yumi, and William were taking cover using the couch. To the front of the RV, Jeremie, Aelita, Clementine, Duck, and Katjaa were using a sofa for cover. However, Ulrich had the worst luck; he was pinned down behind the stairs. Lee and Monroe were taking cover on the side of the RV while Kenny came out with two hunting rifles. "We need to get out of here!" Kenny exclaimed.

Suddenly, Ben made a break for it but it didn't work as one of the bandits nearly shot his head off. He fell down out of fear and crawled back for the couch for cover.

"Damn, that was too close!" Monroe exclaimed.

"No shit!" Lee exclaimed.

"Kill those bastards, cover our people, and then we need to go." Kenny explained over the constant gunfire. Kenny then handed the hunting rifles to Monroe and Lee. The two looked at each other with a questioning look on who would take what side.

"I'll try and get everyone from the front of the RV if you can get the rear." Lee said.

"On it." Monroe replied and squatted down near the bumper of the RV. Both Lee and Monroe killed several of the bandits. Lee's decisive aim killed two that used the dumpster for cover. While Monroe was able to kill one of the two men with his hunting rifle. Lee then nailed the last bandit on his side when the bandit used a couple of pallets for poor covering. Monroe also killed his last man while he transitioned from the dumpster to the chair.

"Come on, it's clear!" Monroe shouted to his friends as they ran over.

"Man, you saved our asses." Ben said hurriedly yet gratefully. Everyone but Yumi and William went inside to try and help Kenny with the RV which kept stalling.

Lee also shouted to his fellow survivors, "Now come on. Hurry!"

"Lee!" Clementine exclaimed as she ran for his comforting embrace. He hugged her back and said. "Clementine get inside the RV. Everything will be alright."

Katjaa and Duck were late at making their move but they still tried to get to the RV. However, a walker snuck up on them and knocked them both over. Katjaa struggled with the walker until Monroe shot it in the forehead killing the undead creature.

"Shit, Kat, are you okay?" Kenny asked as he ran out of the RV. He helped his family get up and they ran for cover. Meanwhile Ulrich tried to get out from cover but every time he did someone kept him pinned in by nearly shooting him. Additionally, the noise was starting to attract the walkers and several were making their way to the group.

Lee and Monroe kept shooting while William and Yumi looked on horrified to see that Ulrich was too pinned in to make an escape. "Come on Ulrich now." Yumi exclaimed as the RV's engine finally came to life.

"Lilly, last chance get down here!" Lee exclaimed as he and Monroe ran into the RV.

"Ulrich!" Yumi cried. Ulrich looked on in terror to see that a hoard was approaching the RV

"William!" Ulrich yelled. "Get Yumi and everyone else out of here!"

"No way. I'm not leaving you behind!" William yelled back.

"You have to! I don't want you guys to die!" Ulrich shouted back. He then directed his attention to Yumi and said sadly, "Yumi, I love you, please be safe."

"Shut up and get over here!" Yumi shouted tearfully.

"I can't; I'm too pinned in! You guys are getting surrounded!" Ulrich exclaimed. He then directed his attention to William and pleaded, "William get her in the RV and please take care of her!"

Something snapped in William as he forcefully pushed Yumi inside the RV as it started to run in for the road. Lilly managed to make it inside at the very last second leaving Ulrich alone. He retreated back and drew his katana readying himself to get through the hoard of walkers and the bandits or die trying.

* * *

"Let go of me!" Yumi exclaimed as she pushed William down. He looked on with a look of remorsefulness as Yumi ran toward the front of the RV and said angrily. "Turn this piece of shit around now."

"Are you suicidal?" Kenny replied giving a quick glare at Yumi who was absolutely angry. "We barely escaped that shit back there."

"I don't give a damn! We left Ulrich behind turn this thing around." Yumi shouted.

Suddenly, Yumi felt two hands on her shoulders and turned around with a glare to meet Aelita's comforting stare. Yumi calmed down slightly and Aelita spoke. "Yumi, I'm so sorry but there was nothing we could do for him. Right now, we have to think about Clementine and Duck; they almost got killed back there." Yumi finally accepted defeat and hugged Aelita tearfully as she cried over the loss of her boyfriend. "Listen, it's a long shot but maybe Ulrich managed to get out of there. You know how tough he is and how resourceful he could be." Aelita stated as she rubbed Yumi's back. Yumi lets go of Aelita and nodded appreciatively to her.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Ben said panicking. "I'm sorry." Ben said remorseful to Lilly.

"Calm down, Ben, I know things are very shitty but we need to stay calm." Carley said to Ben.

"No, we need to figure out how this happened. We just lost everything." Lilly announced to everyone.

"I know this is bad but finger-pointing isn't going to do jack-shit for…" Jeremie started but trailed off as he took a deep raspy breathe. Jeremie, himself, was on the verge of tears over leaving his friend behind.

"Someone did this. Someone was working with those assholes." Lilly stated coldly. "They didn't receive their last package so they attacked."

"Calm down back there. That's nuts." Kenny said.

"Lee found a crate on the outside wall with some of our supplies in it." Lilly retorted.

All eyes turned to the man as he said, "It's true." Their eyes widened in horror and a dreadful silence lingered in the RV for a couple of tense seconds.

"So there's a traitor amongst us but who?" Odd asked.

"That's a good question, Odd." Lilly replied. "What do you say Carley?"

"Please." Carley said defensively.

"We have to get it out of you then." Lilly said coldly.

"Back off." Carley demanded.

Lilly huffed and said, "You're in no position to make demands."

"Whoa, hold on now, what makes you think Carley did this?" Monroe asked.

"I've had my suspicions." Lilly replied.

"Probably not the best time for it Lilly." Kenny said not taking his eyes off the road for a second.

"If not now, then when? Look at what just happened." Lilly replied angrily.

"Carley's trustworthy; she's not a traitor Lilly." Lee defended Carley.

"Thank you, Lee." Carley replied.

"She can fight her own battles." Lilly criticized Lee. "Unless, there is something that implies you both." Lilly said eyeing both Carley and Ben.

"What!" Ben exclaimed.

"Don't be ridiculous." Carley said distastefully.

"I've seen you two together. Was it both of you?" Lilly said intimidating Ben. The teens looked on in horror especially Yumi who respected Lilly. Yumi and Aelita sat down away on a sofa that was behind Katjaa's seat as argument escalated.

"Look, maybe we should vote or…something-" Ben said but was interrupted when Lilly glared at him and said, "Vote? What?"

"Look, Carley is a real stand-up gal and I…" Ben trailed off but Lee was able to fill in the gap. "Let's just let it go. I mean people make mistakes and yeah this is a real freaking doozy but it is not worth it Lilly."

"Then what do we not forgive, honestly?" Lilly yelled. "Kenny can kill my dad, Carley can steal from us and murder Ulrich. Did you even care about Ulrich?"

"Of course, Lee cares for him but I know Ulrich. He would never want us to do something like this!" Monroe exclaimed.

"No one was stealing anything." Ben said.

"Look me in the eye and say that." Lilly said to Ben as she glared at him intensely not giving him much space to breathe.

"Lilly back off." Carley said in a warning tone of voice

"I…" Ben started to say but was cut off when Kenny exclaimed, "Shit!" The RV rocked back and forth slightly and started to decelerate.

Lilly lost her glare and looked up to the front of the RV and asked, "What's going on up there?"

"I hit something. We got to pull over." Kenny explained as he slowed the RV down to a stop.

"We can deal with this now then." Lilly said glaring at Ben. "Everyone out."

"Lilly." Lee said warningly.

"Out!" Lilly demanded and went right past him. The group got out of the RV as Lilly explained that the RV had a walker trapped underneath to Kenny. She then approached Ben and said, "You know what? We shouldn't just kick you out. We should hear what everyone thinks."

"You're the only person that thinks that kicking someone out of the group is the right idea. Haven't we lost enough people today?" Monroe stated angrily.

"Shut up, Monroe. I've heard enough out of you." Lilly exclaimed and glared at the teen.

"I think you should just chill out!" Ben exclaimed.

"I'm not going to take this. You can push Ben around but you aren't going to do that to me." Carley said defensively.

"I'm really sorry to hear that but maybe you both are behind this." Lilly replied coldly.

"What!" Ben exclaimed.

"Oh this stupid walker!" Kenny yelled while he struggled to pull the walker out from underneath the RV.

"You okay over there." Lee asked.

"I could use a hand." Kenny exclaimed as he continued to fight the walker.

"I got it." William said and he walked over to help Kenny.

"Ben you have no other option." Lilly said.

"Leave him alone." Carley demanded.

"You can tell me it was Carley, then everything will be as right as rain." Lilly said to Ben while ignoring Carley's protests.

"I'm not doing this." Lee said to Lilly.

"Come on, Lee, you're the one who found them. You can't just abstain." Lilly replied to his unwillingness.

"Screw that, this is nuts. We're out here on the side of the road!" Lee exclaimed.

"Fine then." Lilly said and directed her attention to Kenny and asked, "Kenny what's it going to be?"

"I don't know if you notice this, but we're kind of busy over here." William snapped back as he struggled with the walker.

"Kenny, your vote counts for you and Katjaa." Lilly ignored William and yelled so Kenny could hear.

"We don't need all these votes! What do I have to do for you to trust me? I'll do anything!" Ben exclaimed. "I'll do watches for a month, I'll get more food, more medicine! Just let me stay please!" Ben's begging didn't affect Lilly in the slightest. Lilly merely shook her head almost disappointed by him.

"Stop panicking, Ben!" Aelita exclaimed. "Just stop and take a breath!"

"Do we need any more evidence than this?" Lilly exclaimed angrily.

"Screw evidence, this isn't how we treat one of us!" Monroe stated angrily.

"For the last freaking time, shut the hell up Monroe!" Lilly exclaimed but the boy wasn't intimidated by her. He has faced worse than her. "Kenny what's it going to be?"

"Just give me a damn minute." Kenny exclaimed as he and William finally managed to get the walker pried from the RV's axle.

"Ben you have until Kenny and William kill that walker to tell me it was her and not you." Lilly said.

"Stop this! You're torturing him!" Carley exclaimed.

"Ben!" Lilly exclaimed frustrated that the teen still didn't respond.

"No!" Ben said scared and intimidated.

"This is about trust and I never trusted you." Lilly said coldly.

"I did it." Lee said catching everyone off guard.

"What?" Lilly said not believing him.

"That's right it was me. Does that get you to lay off the kid?" Lee said angrily.

"I think you're capable of being a real piece of shit but I know it wasn't you, not with her in your life." Lilly said motioning towards Clementine. Lee looked down sadly. He knew Lilly was right. He would never endanger the girl's life. Never.

"Please let's just get back into the RV." Ben pleaded.

"That's not happening." Lilly responded.

Monroe finally had it as his anger and rage boiled over from the woman. "You think you're some tough piece of work but all you are is broken down bitch who can't do shit now that your father is dead. Get over it. Take a page from Aelita's book and try helping someone for once." Lilly glared at the teen while everyone else stared on surprise by the outburst of anger.

William and Kenny managed to get the walker out from underneath the RV. William drew his switchblade and stabbed the walker in the skull, killing it. "There we got it." Kenny said as he and William approached the group. "Now what the hell is the problem?"

Suddenly a shot went off and there was a thud. Everyone turned around and saw Lilly had her gun out. In front of Lilly laying limp on the ground was Monroe. Tears formed in Aelita's eyes and she started to hyperventilate. She got down on her knees and pushed the body of her brother hoping that he would come to life. "Monroe, Monroe, you got to get up. Monroe?" Aelita said with her voice cracking. All at once, Aelita broke down and cried, while burying her face into Monroe's chest.

Lee's look of shock instantly became anger and he pinned Lilly to the RV. "Drop it." Lee demanded angrily. Lilly complied now feeling somewhat remorseful.

"What the f***?" Kenny whispered as he stared on shocked by what happened.

"Kenny, what's happening?" Katjaa exclaimed from inside the RV.

"Keep Duck away from the windows. Holy shit!" Kenny exclaimed as he walked around Monroe and went to Lee. "Get in. We're leaving this crazy bitch."

"He couldn't be trusted Lee. I swear." Lilly said with her voice cracking.

Lee huffed angrily and said, "You're not coming with us."

"I'll die out here!" Lilly exclaimed.

Lee bent down and picked up the handgun and said darkly, "I really hope so."

"You're a murder, Lilly. Even worse you murdered a child. I don't think it's safe to have you around Duck, Clem, Aelita, or any of the teens." Kenny ranted.

"I'm a murder? You had Lee with you this whole time." Lilly exclaimed.

"I don't care what he did before." Kenny shot back.

"You knew?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, he told me. I don't care, at least he didn't murder a kid." Kenny said angrily.

"I was just trying to protect all of us." Lilly said tearfully. "I don't have anything left."

"Whatever. Come on y'all; let's get inside." Kenny said as he returned to the driver's seat of the RV. Everyone slowly went in, but not before looking at Aelita sadly as she sobbed over her brother until it was only Carley and Jeremie left.

Carley got down to Aelita's level and took the girl's hands and said somewhat motherly, "Come on, sweetie. We have to go."

Aelita looked up to Carley with tears rolling down her face. "I can't leave him." Aelita said sorrowfully.

Jeremie got down to her level and said, "Please, Aelita, we can't stay here. I hate doing this too, but we don't have a choice."

Aelita wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her dress and hugged Monroe one last time. "I'm sorry, Monroe." She said tearfully. "I'm so sorry." Jeremie and Carley helped Aelita up and they helped her into the RV as it started to life. As they left, a walker came and Lilly immediately ran for the woods.

* * *

Carley and Jeremie helped Aelita, who was shaking violently, to sit down. Jeremie sat down next her and she immediately sobbed in his chest. Jeremie rubbed her back comfortingly. However, it was in vain, she was in too much pain. Everyone looked at Aelita sadly as she cried herself to sleep. Jeremie also had tears coming down from his eyes but he wiped them away. He had to be strong for Aelita but how could he since he lost two friends who meant so much to him. He silently cried catching the attention of William and Yumi since everyone was asleep now, except for them and Kenny.

"This is some horrible dream." William stated hoping it was true.

"We still have to go through tomorrow." Yumi said tearfully.

* * *

Lee woke up from a horrible nightmare and stared down at Clementine who was resting peacefully on his chest. He looked across to see Jeremie and Aelita who were also sleeping. He smiled sadly when his eyes rested on the doll that was in Aelita's possession, Mr. Puck as she called it. At least she managed to keep something from her old life.

Lee looked over and saw William and Yumi sleeping next to each other. He smirked when he saw Odd sprawled across their laps snoring quite loudly. Yumi finally woke up and rolled her eyes to see Odd sleeping on her and William. She pushed the boy off and he fell to the floor with a thud. "Ow!" Odd exclaimed waking everyone up. "What was that for?"

"For using me and William as a bed." Yumi replied quickly with a somewhat teasing tone.

Everyone chuckled at the expense of the boy as he got up and said, "Not my fault you guys are comfortable to sleep on."

Before anyone else could speak Kenny said somewhat angrily, "Dammit, road's block." Lee got up and went to the front of the RV to take a look along with Carley. "Now we got to deal with this." Kenny said frustrated while slowly stopping the RV.

Kenny, Lee, Jeremie, and Carley got out of the RV and inspected the roadblock which was a freight train. "Maybe there's another way around?" Carley inquired.

"On foot maybe but we can't afford that luxury now." Kenny replied.

Lee observed the forests that were on both sides of the RV and said, "This brush could stop anything from creeping up on us. Plus, it gives the kids a few minutes to get out and stretch their legs."

"I agree. I'll go get everyone." Kenny said happily and walked toward the RV.

"I'm going to see if that train can work." Jeremie said as he started to walk over to the ladder.

"You know how to operate it?" Lee asked.

"It can't be that hard." Jeremie replied. "I mean I was able to use a supercomputer when I was thirteen, so this will be a piece of cake." Jeremie then climbed up the steps and was heading to the cab. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a body in the driver's seat. He turned around to try and find a weapon. He soon spotted the panels located on the side of the main freight. He opened them up one-by-one until he found a spike remover. He picked it up and slowly approached the cab door and opened it. He came down with the spike remover on the head of the body and it fell limp on the controls. He pulled the man off of the controls and looked him over.

"Find anything?" Ben asked as he came into the cab. Jeremie stared down at the man and Ben looked disgusted, "I don't think that he made it back."

Jeremie stared down sadly as memories of what happened yesterday ran through his mind. He shook his head out of his daze and he then eyed a button with a flashing light. He knew from his basic train functions that the button was the brakes. Jeremie leaned over and pushed the button. "Whoa easy man don't-" Before Ben could finish his sentence, the sound of steam being depressed could be heard.

"Relax, it's just the brakes." Jeremie stated.

Kenny and Lee both came in immediately after Jeremie pressed the button for the brakes and Kenny exclaimed, "Holy crap, this hunk of junk works."

"Seems that way." Lee replied smiling at the teens.

"Shit, how do we get it working?" Kenny asked as he took a seat. Ben dragged the corpse of the man outside while Jeremie studied the controls.

Jeremie smiled and said, "It doesn't seem that complicating." He then started to check the controls for the gas gage.

**A Couple of Minutes Ago**

Lee had left to investigate the train leaving Clementine, Carley, Aelita, and Yumi sitting on the log. Odd and William went and investigated the nearby cars for anything of use. Kenny sat near the end of the log and stole sad glances at Duck whose health was slowly failing. Katjaa held her son hoping that there might be a way for him to fight the walker's venom or if there was anything that could be done for her son.

Aelita seemed distant to everyone and just stared at the ground angrily. "Are you feeling alright?" Carley asked Aelita.

"I need some space." Aelita said abruptly and walked over toward the boxcar that Lee was exploring. Clementine, Yumi, and Carley looked surprised by Aelita's change in attitude but they soon relaxed knowing that Aelita was still mourning.

Aelita went to the train and punched the boxcar out of frustration but immediately regretted it. "Ouch!" She exclaimed as she held her hand.

"It's not healthy for ya to punch boxcars, young lady." An older man could be heard. Aelita turned around frightened to have heard a voice in the first place and saw a man with a torn up yellow jacket and a pair of dirty black jeans. The man noticed the young girl's frightened expression and said, "Don't be afraid of me darlin. I ain't going to harm you in any way."

"I'm sorry." Aelita said. "I'm just a little jumpy right now."

"I can tell." The man replied. "Is everything alright?"

"I lost my brother last night." Aelita admitted. She didn't know why but she felt as though she could open up to the man.

"What do you mean by lost him?" The man asked confused by her statement.

"He's dead." Aelita stated with a pang of sadness in her voice.

She felt tears roll down her face but then she felt two comforting hands on her shoulders. The hands belonged to the man and he said, "Darlin, as long as you remember how he loved you, he's never gone. He's watchin over you right now, I'd imagine."

Aelita smiled at the man as she wiped away her tears. "Thank you." Aelita said to the man.

"You're welcome darlin, sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger about your problems." The man replied. He then smiled and extended a hand and said, "Where are my manners? The name's Chuck, Charles if you're fancy."

Aelita smiled and shook the man's hand and said, "I'm Aelita."

"Nice to meet you." Chuck said. He stared over to the group and asked, "Is that your crew over there?"

"Yes." Aelita replied as she started to walk back towards her group.

Chuck walked next to her and asked, "And those men and boys in the cab."

"Them too." Aelita replied.

Chuck smiled and said, "Well then, I haven't been around this many folks in a long time."

**On the Freight Engine**

The train came to life as Jeremie turned on the switch. He smiled and said, "It works."

"Holy shit! We're golden." Kenny said happily.

"Yeah for now." Jeremie said sadly.

"Come on Jeremie, enjoy this. Quit thinking about yesterday." Kenny said. He then directed his attention to the cab and said, "Lee's going to unhook us from the rest of that mess back there. You and I are going to wait till he says something." Jeremie nodded but then something caught his eye. It was Aelita.

"Aelita, who is this?" Carley asked panicking slightly.

"This is Chuck. I talked to him a bit. He's nice." Aelita replied cheerfully.

Everyone who was there immediately noticed the change in Aelita's attitude. She was back to being happy and smiling. Yumi smiled and said, "Any friend of Aelita's is a friend of ours. Take a seat." Yumi got up and offered her seat to Chuck.

He smiled and said, "I'd like to darlin but I want to scare the living pants off of that man who went through my boxcar." Chuck then walked off to the boxcar as Aelita went into the RV. Jeremie also walked by and followed her.

* * *

Odd and William returned with a box of animal crackers. Odd gave them to Katjaa and said, "Here, if Duck is up to it."

Katjaa smiled and said, "Thank you Odd."

Odd smiled back and replied, "Your welcome."

"Is that all you two found?" Yumi asked.

"Not exactly, we found a walker in one of the cars. He isn't going to bother us though." William stated. Yumi nodded understanding what William meant. He then asked, "Can I talk to you about something?"

Yumi got up and allowed William to lead the way. They head toward the forest's edge. William leaned against a tree with a remorseful look. "I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry about yesterday. I know Ulrich and I didn't get along all the time but he was still a good friend to me. If you can ever forgive me, then I would appreciate it." William said sadly.

"I should be apologizing." Yumi said. "I was angry at you but I should be thankful. You saved my life yesterday by pushing me into that RV." Yumi saw that William was still not fully convinced and said, "You did all you could do."

William looked on sadly and said, "I wish that I could have done more." Yumi then hugged him and said, "Let's go back and sit with the others." William smiled and the two walked back over to the group.

* * *

Jeremie walked up the stairs to the RV and saw Aelita grab Mr. Puck. Aelita stared at the doll for a couple of seconds until she finally held it close with a hug. "I should have never thought of leaving you." Aelita said sadly.

Jeremie approached the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. Aelita looked at Jeremie and smiled. "I'm okay, I think."

"I know that you miss them but I want you to know that I'm always here. I'll be here for every step of the way" Jeremie said sadly, "It'll be difficult but we'll get through it together." Aelita looked up at Jeremie and smiled. They hugged each other and enjoyed the embrace. They let go after a while and exited the RV as they saw everyone lining up to get inside the boxcar. "Maybe things will be okay." Jeremie stated and the two walked towards the boxcar.

**A/N: Please, please, don't hate me. This is **_**The Walking Dead**_**, so you have to expect people to die or disappear. So please don't give up on this fanfiction.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Welcome back to another chapter of **_**Code: Walker**_**. The Lyoko Warriors will now try to recover from losing two of their members and start forming or strengthen bonds with some of the motor inn group.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Jeremie helped Aelita onto the boxcar and he was going to climb up next until he heard Clementine say sadly to Lee, "Duck's sick."

"Get on the train, Clementine." Kenny scolded her. She left the two men as Katjaa went up to them. Jeremie shot a glare at Kenny but only for a second as he looked down to Clementine and asked, "You need a boost to get on the train?"

Clementine nodded and Jeremie helped her on the train. He then got onto the train and with help from Odd and William, he helped Katjaa and Duck get on. A few seconds later, the train left the area and Yumi looked down sadly.

"You alright?" Aelita asked her friend.

"I was just hoping that Ulrich would be able to catch up with us before we left this area." Yumi responded sadly. Aelita sent a sympathetic stare at Yumi and sat down next to Jeremie who sat across from Duck and Katjaa.

* * *

Lee entered the boxcar and stood next to Chuck both staring out of the boxcar door. "Can't be easy on y'all." Chuck said looking around the boxcar and continued, "Four adults looking after eight kids." Chuck then turned around and looked at Ben and said, "No disrespect to you, son."

"There were more of us." Lee said.

"Dead get them?" Chuck inquired.

"No." Lee responded.

"Ah…living got them." Chuck concluded and Lee nodded his head in response. Suddenly, there was some violent coughing coming from Duck. He started to cough out blood that was getting darker as each hour passed by.

Jeremie immediately reacted and got up to help Katjaa. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Jeremie asked.

"Yes, can you please wipe that off his face? My hands are full." Katjaa asked tearfully. Jeremie complied and wiped Duck's face. Lee approached them and Katjaa said, "Lee, he's out of time. You have to convince Ken to stop the train."

Lee nodded and said, "I'll try."

"Please." Katjaa begged and Lee left the boxcar to get to the cab of the train.

Everyone looked on sadly at the boy who was dying his mother's arm. Silence and Duck's raspy breathing dominated the area until the train finally came to a halt. Everyone descended from the boxcar as Kenny looked over sadly at his son. He and Lee approached Katjaa who had Duck lay down.

She noticed Kenny approaching and said, "Ken, I think it's time."

Kenny looked at Duck for a second then looked up to everyone else. "The boy's been bit, in case any of you haven't figured it out yet." Kenny then looked sympathetic to his wife and asked, "What are we going to do?"

Katjaa looked at her son and said, "We can't let him become one of those things."

"But what if he doesn't?" Kenny asked hoping that his son would be different and not die.

"Kenny, I love you very much. I love our son more than life itself." Katjaa began to tear up and continued, "I need you to hear me. What you are saying that he may not turn is foolish."

"But I-" Kenny started to say but Katjaa interrupted him and said, "No."

Come on Kat!" Kenny said sadly.

"If you think of something, you let me know." Katjaa responded.

"Maybe there's some kind of pill we can give him or something. I mean, Katjaa this is our son!" Kenny exclaimed sadly.

"I know!" Katjaa exclaimed. "But it's either here or nothing." Katjaa indicated to her forehead which was the only way to make sure someone doesn't come back as a walker.

"Well who then?" Kenny asked overwhelmed by the subject of their conversation. "I can do it. I have to do it."

"No, Ken this something you can't do." Katjaa said shaking her head sadly.

"Shit, Katjaa, I can." Kenny said trying to sway his wife.

"I'll do it." Lee said.

"No it should be a parent." Katjaa responded.

"No parent should ever have to do something like this." Lee replied.

"Kat, Lee's right. We can say our good-byes and leave it at that." Kenny said.

Katjaa looked at Duck sadly and said, "Lee, you would be doing this family a great service if you do this." Katjaa then picked Duck up and said, "Let's go in the woods so the kids don't have to see this." Kenny nodded and the two went into the woods.

Clementine stared down sadly. Jeremie noticed this and got down to Clementine's eye-level and asked, "Are you okay?"

Clementine looked up tearfully and said, "First Ulrich, then Monroe, and now Duck. I don't want to lose any more friends."

"I don't either." Jeremie replied equally tearful. "I-" Jeremie started until a shot could be heard. William, Yumi, and Aelita immediately grabbed their guns but then everyone could hear Kenny yell, "No!"

Jeremie fearing the worst ran into the forest. "Jeremie wait!" Lee exclaimed. "Aelita keep an eye on Clementine." Aelita nodded and Lee ran after Jeremie.

Jeremie ran into a clearing and looked on in horror as he saw Kenny crying over Katjaa's corpse. Memories flashed back to the previous night. He imagined himself back on the highway staring at Monroe's corpse. Jeremie couldn't take it any longer and he broke down. He wept for Ulrich. He wept for Monroe. He wept for Katjaa. And he wept for Duck who sat against the tree trunk dying.

Lee finally came into the clearing and witnessed the scene. "Ken what happened?" Lee asked sympathetically.

"She had a gun. I didn't…" Kenny trailed off as he sobbed some more.

While Kenny tried to calm down. Lee got down to Jeremie's level as the boy continued to sob. This was surprising as the boy always had confidence, but here, he was completely scared and frightened. "Jeremie?" Lee said soothingly and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Jeremie looked up to Lee with tears streaming down his face. "It's my fault. I could have saved them. I promised that I would be there for them but all I did was get them killed." Lee suddenly brought the boy in for a hug and Jeremie and cried into Lee's shoulder.

"Shh…there's nothing you could have done for Monroe and Ulrich." Lee said softly. "It's not your fault for what happened to them. I'm doing all I can to save as many of my people too which includes and you, Yumi, Aelita, Odd, and William. Don't put so much pressure on yourself." Lee continued to say comfortingly.

Eventually, Jeremie stopped crying and Lee helped him up. The three stood in front of Duck and Kenny asked, "What do we do?"

"Give me the gun, Ken." Lee said extending his hand to accept the gun. Kenny complied and sadly looked at his son while Lee said sadly, "Good-bye Robin." Lee then fired the gun, putting the young boy out of his misery. Lee looked over to Kenny and Jeremie who still had tears streaming down their faces.

**Back at the Train**

Aelita and Clementine looked toward the woods waiting for everyone to return. Aelita held Mr. Puck tightly and hoped everyone was okay; Aelita also stole glances at Carley. She remembered last night and this morning. Carley was acting like a guardian to her. It started back at the motor inn when Carley gave her rations to Aelita and Jeremie and now with Monroe gone, Carley has become more motherly. Chuck sat down next to the two girls. Aelita smiled at Chuck as she relaxed and said, "Hi Chuck."

"Howdy." Chuck replied seriously and continued, "I need to talk to your younger friend about something."

"That's fine; I need to talk to Carley, anyway." Aelita said as she left the two to talk while she put Mr. Puck in her backpack.

Aelita approached Carley who was looking somewhat worried, probably for Lee's safety. Carley's eyes softened when Aelita came up to her. "Hey." Carley said.

"Hi." Aelita replied sadly.

Carley noticed this and asked, "Aelita, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you this morning. I have been pushing you away when you were only trying to help me." Aelita apologized as she stared at Carley.

Carley placed two comforting hands on Aelita's shoulders and said, "Aelita, you were still mourning. No one would criticize you for that."

"I just feel bad that you were only trying to help but I kept ignoring you." Aelita said.

Carley said nothing and brought Aelita in for a hug. "If you need anything, just come and talk to me, okay?"

Instead of being surprised, Aelita only smiled and wrapped her arms around Carley and said, "Okay."

After a few seconds, the two separated but instead of feeling awkward they shot comforting glances at each other. Suddenly, Jeremie, Lee and Kenny came out of the woods. Aelita immediately ran up to Jeremie and hugged him.

"Where's Katjaa?" Odd asked horrified to not see the woman. Kenny slumped slightly and walked toward the cab. Lee looked sympathetically at Kenny and followed him. Aelita released Jeremie from the hug and held his shoulders comfortingly while looking at him perplexedly.

Jeremie looked up and shook his head sadly. Aelita lets go of his shoulders and gasped while covering her mouth. William, Odd, and Yumi looked on shocked. "Jeremie what happened out there?" William asked concerned.

"It doesn't matter." Jeremie replied bluntly. "All that remains here is sadness and death."

Aelita looked sadly at the boy and said, "Jeremie?" Jeremie ignored Aelita and climbed onto the boxcar. The train started up and everyone slowly and reluctantly got up into the boxcar to leave the area.

* * *

Lee came back from talking with Kenny and went over to Clementine and asked if she was alright. He noticed that there was something on her mind and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Chuck said that what happened to Duck will happen to me." Clementine said scared by the possibility of getting bit.

"The f*** he did." Lee said angrily.

"Swear." Clementine corrected Lee.

"Sorry." Lee apologized as he got up. "I'm going to go and talk to him." Lee said angrily and headed out of the boxcar.

Aelita walked over and took Lee's spot. She smiled over to Clementine but Clementine was too wrapped up in thought. Aelita merely sat there trying to find the words to say anything until she felt an arm around her shoulders. It was Carley. Aelita leaned her head against Carley's side and enjoyed the woman's embrace. Jeremie was too wrapped up in thought over what happened in the woods to notice anything. Meanwhile, Yumi and William looked over to Jeremie with concern. And Odd was sharpening his arrows. The silence was very awkward and would continue for several minutes until Lee would return.

**Lee's POV**

Outside, after he talked to Chuck, Lee approached the door to the boxcar until he heard Ben say, "It was me."

Lee turned around with a look of surprise. "What?" Lee asked shocked by the teen's confession. "I was the one who was dealing with the bandit." Lee went back over to Ben stared in disbelief as he continued. "It's all my fault."

Lee's shock turned to rage and exclaimed, "What the heck for? Why would you do this?"

"They said they had my friend that he was with them. By the time that I figured it out it was too late." Ben said panicking from Lee's anger.

"Did you ever think of coming to one of us for help? Maybe me, Carley, even Kenny?" Lee asked angrily.

"I was too afraid that you guys would get mad, like you're mad right now." Ben replied.

"Ben, I'm mad because Monroe, Duck, and Katjaa are dead because of you. And Ulrich is probably dead." Lee said angrily while glaring even more at the teen. "From now on, you need to keep your f*** ups to yourself." With that Lee left the scared teen and went into the boxcar and tried to figure out a plan once they reached Savannah, teach Clementine how to shoot, and tidy her up a bit.

**Normal POV**

Lee entered the boxcar and took his seat next to Aelita while muttering, "Seat thief." Aelita shrugged and just smiled. Lee then turned his attention to Clementine and said, "Hey Clem."

"Did you talk to him?" Clementine asked.

"I did and he made some valid points. We're not going to let anything bad happen to you but we do need to take some precautions." Lee said.

Aelita got up from Carley and glanced over to Jeremie who was still silent and moping. "I think I need to go talk to him." Aelita said to Carley as Lee explained to Clementine what they would need to do to ensure her safety.

Carley nodded and said, "That's fine. I should probably help Lee and Clementine."

Aelita smiled and got up; she walked over to Jeremie as Lee and Carley taught Clementine how to shoot a gun.

"Are you okay?" Aelita asked putting a comforting hand on Jeremie's shoulder. Jeremie looked sadly at Aelita while Odd, Yumi, and William went over and sat next to them.

"Do you think I got Monroe and Ulrich killed?" Jeremie asked the group.

"What. No of course not!" Aelita exclaimed. "Why would you even think that?" Clementine started shooting in the background with Lee and Carley coaching her through it.

BANG!

"That's all I keep thinking about." Jeremie replied. "Maybe it is my fault. I mean, we could have moved on or-"

"Jeremie!" William said catching Jeremie off guard. "It's not your fault. If we would have left this group, I don't think we would have survived for very long out there. Not in those woods."

BANG! There was a loud crash as Clementine had successfully hit a glass bottle.

Aelita leaned in and kissed Jeremie on the cheek and said, "Let it go. I love you too much to see you put yourself through this much pain."

BANG!

"We'll all miss Ulrich and Monroe but beating yourself up over it, won't change anything." Odd stated. "Besides, you remember what Monroe said in the meat locker at the St. Johns. He spent way too much time beating himself up over Franz Hopper's death, and it didn't do anything for him. I doubt that he would like what you're doing right now."

BANG! Another crash could be heard as Clementine hit another bottle.

"We need our leader back." Yumi said. "And you're our leader."

Jeremie smiled and said, "Thanks guys."

BANG! A crash could be heard and the teens turned around and saw that Clementine had shot the bottle using only one bullet.

"Nice shot, Clem!" Yumi said happily as she approached the girl. "You'll become an expert marksmen like William in no time."

Clementine smiled and said, "Thanks."

"Well that ought to do it." Lee said. "Now, we need a plan for when we reach Savannah." Lee said as he pulled out a map. The teens gathered around and they all eyed the map. Lee then stated, "We need to help find a boat. It's our best bet of getting out of here."

"But we'll be in Savannah and my parents were in Savannah." Clementine stated.

"Look Clem, I-" Lee started to say but Clementine interrupted him and said, "No, I don't care about safety. I care about finding them."

Lee didn't know what to do until Jeremie looked at William and Odd. "You guys think you could try and find her parents?" Jeremie asked.

They both looked down sadly, "If we were going through the woods, then yes, but trying to find them in the city…" William said but trailed off and shook his head.

"We're about as useful as you guys on this one." Odd said.

"We'll find a boat first then we'll search for your parents." Jeremie said to Clementine. "Is that okay?"

"I suppose so." Clementine said. She then turned to Lee and asked, "Can I tell them…you know?"

"I don't see why not." Lee said. "Everyone else knows at this point." Lee then folded up the map and said, "Okay one last thing we need to do is tidy up a bit." Lee said as he got up and looked through Chuck's backpack.

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked not liking where the conversation was going.

Lee pulled out a pair of scissors and said, "I need to cut your hair short enough so you won't get grabbed." Clementine grimaced as she ran her fingers through her thick curls.

She sighed and said, "Okay." Lee got down and set Clementine on his lap so that he could start to cut her hair. "Do you know how to do this?"

"Nope, I'm not a barber." Lee answered truthfully.

"I'm going to look like a boy." Clementine whined.

"Yeah, but think of how safe you will be." Lee replied.

Clementine shrugged and said, "True." Eventually, Lee finished cutting her hair and pulled back a couple of pieces into pig-tails. Clementine ran her hands through her hair and asked, "Does it look dumb?"

"Of course not. You look cute and a lot harder to grab." Aelita remarked.

Lee smirked and offered the scissors to Carley and said, "Here, you want to trim down Aelita's hair."

Aelita gasped and immediately ran her hands over her hair protectively. Carley smiled and said, "No, that's your thing, not mine."

Aelita sent an appreciative glance toward Carley and Carley smiled back. Lee huffed and said, "Alright, suit yourself." Clementine got off of Lee and the two walked over to the door of the boxcar.

"I'm going to go join them." Carley said.

"Okay and thanks for not giving me a buzz-job." Aelita said.

"No problem." Carley said as she walked over to join Lee. Aelita walked over and sat next to Jeremie.

**A Few Minutes Later**

"Oh shit! Hang on everyone!" Kenny exclaimed over the speaker. Lee immediately grabbed Clementine's shoulder with one hand and grabbed the siding of the boxcar door with the other. Carley was luckily leaning on the other side of the door and didn't have to hold onto anything. William did exactly what Lee did but with Yumi. Aelita fell into Jeremie's arms as he caught her so she wouldn't fall out of the train. Odd, however, wasn't as fortunate and went flying forward from within the boxcar. However, he did a very impressive scorpion.

William laughed, "Odd that is probably the most impressive scorpion I have ever seen in my whole life." Everyone but Clementine chuckled as Odd got back up.

"Did anyone catch that on video?" Odd asked sarcastically. "I think I broke a record." Everyone shook their heads no and got up and walked out of the boxcar.

Clementine went up to Odd and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Clem. I've been through worse." Odd said.

"By XANA?" Carley inquired.

"Yeah, him and Mrs. Hertz." Odd replied. "Worst teacher ever."

Suddenly, everyone's attention was diverted to Kenny as he looked up angrily at a wrecked diesel truck. Half of its cargo hung off the bridge and Kenny's scowl deepened.

Aelita knew what was coming next and she squatted down and covered Clementine's ears. Kenny then shot out a barrage of f-bombs.

"Maybe we can walk?" Ben suggested.

"That's f****** stupid, Ben." Kenny criticized. Thinking that Kenny's rant was over. Aelita uncovered Clementine's ears and stood back up. Clementine turned around and gave an appreciative smile to Aelita who smiled back.

"I was just saying." Ben said timidly.

Chuck went over and assessed the situation. "I don't know. I don't got much experience with y'all's fortitude but we could probably deal that. I mean, we got a damn train." Chuck said.

"That trailer isn't full of milk, Charles." Kenny spat. "It's filled with gas and diesel, something that will explode."

"He's right." Odd spoke up and continued, "I don't want to get blown apart."

William eyed a train station and smiled, "Hey, I bet there's a blowtorch in that station. If there is, we can use it to cut down that part of the trailer that's dangling and be on our way."

"That's actually not the worst idea that I ever heard, William." Lee said happily.

"I'm not sure to take that as a compliment or an insult." William said jokingly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He shook his head and looked over to Odd. "Come on let's go check out that station over there."

Kenny sighed and walked up into the cab. Lee sent a sympathetic glance and followed him. Ben went on top of the boxcar to keep an eye out for anything while also trying to isolate himself from everyone. Chuck started to strum the guitar and the remaining teens and Clementine went over to listen to him. Chuck smiled as he noticed that he had an audience. Meanwhile, Carley looked over and smiled to see that Aelita and Clementine were enjoying themselves.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" William asked while he and Odd approached the station.

Odd looked down sadly which scared William. Odd has always looked on the bright side of a situation and the fact that he was sad meant that it wasn't good. "I lost my best friend yesterday, so I feel kind of miserable."

"Hey there's a chance that Ulrich made it out." William said. He mentally hoped that Odd wouldn't say anything that involved-

"And what about Monroe?" Odd asked.

"I don't know." William said.

"What do you mean?" Odd asked.

"I-I don't know if it's just denial, but from my vantage point, the way Monroe got shot last night was strange." William said. Odd's eyes widened and William continued. "It looked like he moved slightly before Lilly shot him and it didn't look like it was a direct...you know what? Forget it, I'm too in denial right now."

Odd looked at William sadly as the two finally made it to the door. They eyed the door and Odd went to open it. However, it was locked. Odd gave a frustrated sigh and said, "Well, you know how to pick a lock."

William smiled and got down on one knee as he tried to unlock the door. After a couple of seconds, they both heard a satisfying click and William looked up and said, "We're in."

William opened the door and they entered the dark and dusky building. "Not much light in here." Odd remarked.

"Yeah." William said as he grabbed his flashlight from his backpack and turned it on. William moved the flashlight looking to see if there were any walkers in the area. Suddenly they both heard growling and the two looked over and saw two walkers heading towards them. Odd brought up his crossbow and shot one of the walkers, while William ran and shoved his switchblade up through the other walker's skull. He pulled out his switchblade and used his flashlight again survey the area. He finally stopped searching when his flashlight shined on a specific object, the object they were looking for. "Yes! Found it!" William exclaimed as he ran to the gate that separated the room from the storage section where the blowtorch sat. He pulled on the gate but nothing happened. He then pushed on it. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "It's locked! Dammit!"

"Maybe these guys have got the key on them." Odd said as he squatted down and checked the walker for a key. He came up empty-handed and looked over to William who merely shrugged having no luck either. Odd gave a disgruntled sigh and asked, "You think you can unlock the gate?"

"I'll try but the fact that there is no light in here makes it somewhat tricky." William said as he handed the flashlight to Odd and started to mess with the lock. Odd shined the flashlight so William could get a better view of the lock. William finally got the gate unlocked as the two heard a very satisfying click. "Yes. Please no more locked doors." William said as he open the door and grabbed the blowtorch. "Alright, let's get out of here." Odd nodded and the two headed back with the blowtorch.

Lee stepped out of the cab and walked down the ladder and said, "Nice work. You two found a blowtorch."

"Told you there was probably one in that station." William said. "Come on, let's go take care of that wreck." William said as he struggled with the blowtorch.

Lee noticed this and took it from the boy and said, "I'll take it." William gave an appreciative nod and the two climbed up the ladder. After climbing the ladder to the bridge, they approached the wreck and Lee turned on the blowtorch but it didn't produce any flames.

"What's up?" William asked.

"The hose has a leak in it." Lee replied.

"Shit! Turn that thing off man! I don't want to lose my eyebrows!" William exclaimed. Lee turned it off and went through his backpack. "What are you doing?" William asked.

"I was up here earlier while you and Odd were looking through that station." Lee replied as he pulled out some duct tape. "I found this and figured it would be useful." Lee said as he wrapped the duct tape around the hole.

"That's convenient." William chuckled.

"There, that ought to do it." Lee said as he placed the remaining duct tape in his bag and turned the blowtorch on. This time a flame came out of the nozzle and Lee started cutting the dangling trailer from the rest of the truck.

"Wow, look at it go!" William exclaimed as the blowtorch kept cutting through the coupling.

"Almost got it." Lee said. William then looked over to see the first part of the trailer was moving. William quickly grabbed Lee from around the stomach and pulled him back. Lee looked on astonished to see the trailer had moved from its original position and now sat where he was. "Whoa, you saved my life; thanks." Lee said to William.

"No sweat." William replied. Lee went over and observed the coupling. He sighed and walked over to William and said, "Here, the coupling is out of my reach." Lee handed the handle of the blowtorch to William.

"And for some reason, you think it will be in mine." William said.

"No, but I'm going to dangle you over that ledge so you can finish the cut." Lee retorted.

"The hell you are." William shot back.

Lee crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "Do you want to walk all the way to Savannah because I know that I don't." William gave a disgruntled sigh and accepted defeat. He took the handle of the blowtorch as Lee turned it on.

Lee then dangled William from the platform and William began to cut through the coupling. "It's official, you're a dick." William said to Lee.

"Shut up and start cutting." Lee said back.

* * *

Back on the boxcar, Ben saw something in the distance. He squinted his eyes to see it better and gasped as a whole army of walkers were making their way toward the train. "Uh guys, something's coming."

Everyone turned their attention toward the horizon and their eyes widened.

"I've never seen that many before!" Jeremie exclaimed.

"Shit, get on the train!" Odd exclaimed and everyone ran for the train.

* * *

Meanwhile: "There must be thousands." Lee muttered as he stared at the army making its way to them. "William, cut, cut!" Lee exclaimed.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" William responded. The coupling was giving way and William said, "I'm done; pull me up!"

Lee pulled him up and the two watched as the trailer hit the ground and fell out of the way for the train to move. "Kenny, go!" Lee shouted and the train started to move. As the train moved, Lee kicked the blowtorch off of the ledge and it started a fire down below. "That ought to slow them down." William was shocked but shook his head to get focus. He and Lee ran towards the opposite side of the bridge and got over the guard rail. "We have to jump."

William inhaled and exhaled and said, "Alright, not too far down." He then jumped but he landed wrong. He yelled out in agony as he fell off the boxcar's roof and landed on the ground. He clutched his leg in pain and cursed under his breath.

"Shit!" Yumi exclaimed and she jumped out of the boxcar and helped William up as Lee jumped onto the boxcar. "Run!" Yumi demanded. She ran but William's best effort to run was a limp run. Soon, they were parallel to the train.

Lee helped William in while Carley was able to get Yumi inside. Yumi and William were breathing heavily and Carley frowned towards Lee and said, "That was a lot of them."

"Yeah it was." Lee replied.

The door opened as Clementine, Jeremie, and Aelita walked in. Aelita went to William's side and asked, "Are you alright?"

**(Warning: the following content contains mature and graphic detail. So if you are little squeamish, then now's the time to stop reading.)**

"No." William replied truthfully. "I busted my leg up." Aelita looked down and saw that the ankle was dislocated and his shin was split open.

Aelita grimaced and said, "Monroe was our only medic. I don't know anything about this."

"It's alright, we'll figure something out. Till then, we'll stitch it for you tonight." Lee said. William sighed not liking the fact that his leg will sting more from the stitches.

"Don't worry, we'll give you some painkillers." Jeremie said trying to relieve William from the stress.

William smiled and said, "Thanks Jeremie."

**Early Next Morning**

Lee was staring out of the broken glass window of the train and saw the city of Savannah sitting on the horizon. He smiled at the thought of this entire mess could be over. He looked over to Clementine who was very much asleep. He looked at her backpack which had the drawing she was working on last night on the top of it. He picked up the drawing and smiled sadly as he saw it was a picture of Monroe and Aelita holding hands. Kenny came into the train and Lee put the picture back.

"Next stop, Savannah." Kenny said somewhat happily.

Lee smiled and said, "I know you're going to be okay."

"That's because I had a good friend to help me through this." Kenny replied smiling at Lee. "Thank you."

Lee then asked, "How's William?"

"Jeremie and Carley did everything for his shin but the ankle is still dislocated. They don't have the expertise or the strength to put it back in place. But hopefully, we'll find a doctor in Savannah." Kenny replied.

Suddenly, Clementine's radio came to life and Lee and Kenny looked over to the object in shock. Lee went over and picked it up as an unknown voice could be heard from the other end. "I can't wait for you to get to Savannah, Clementine. I have your parents, right here. All you have to do is come over whether Lee wants you to or not." Suddenly the voice stopped and the radio died out.

"I thought that thing was busted." Kenny said.

"So did I." Lee responded.

"Well one things for sure, someone's expecting us." Kenny said giving an angry scowl toward the city. Lee nodded as he clipped the walkie-talkie to his belt.

**A/N: Well as you can tell, this fanfiction will not have Christa or Omid in it. I do like these characters a lot but they will interfere with the future plot, so I had to give them the boot. Also, things are not looking good for William. Will he suffer the same fate as Monroe and Ulrich or will he pull through?**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm going to start updating weekly until college starts up again. At that point, I'll rarely update.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Eleven people walked down the street of Savannah. They observed the once occupied street and like Macon, it had several abandoned cars and trash that littered its streets. Most of the group felt some heavy tension and stress since the area seemed too quiet. Yumi was helping William to walk normally since he was still struggling with his dislocated ankle. Jeremie walked up to Yumi and asked, "Is he alright?"

Yumi looked over to William who was huffing from trying to keep up with everyone else while using only one leg. "He needs to rest." Yumi replied.

Jeremie nodded and said, "Kenny wait up." However, Kenny ignored Jeremie's request and kept going.

"Kenny, Jeremie asked you to hold up." Lee snapped.

Kenny stopped and Yumi helped William down so he could catch his breath. "Thanks guys." William huffed.

"We're almost to the river, almost to the boats…" Kenny said frustrated as he turned around and looked at the group with a furrowed brow

"Then it won't hurt anything if William rests for a bit." Lee argued back. Kenny just rolled his eyes and looked down the street until the distinct, deep, and loud ring of a church bell could be heard. Everyone tensed up and looked around; Yumi helped William up and allowed herself to be used as a crutch. "Calm down, no one is ringing that bell; it's on a timer." Kenny said.

Lee looked at his watch and asked, "What bell rings twenty minutes past the hour?" Lee then saw something out of the corner of his eye; it appeared to be a person who was on top of the roof. "Up there!" Lee exclaimed as he pointed to the roof. However, the figure was too agile and quick and was already gone by the time everyone turned around to see what Lee was pointing at.

"I don't see anything, Lee." Ben said.

"Yeah, are you sure that you saw something?" Jeremie asked.

"I know what I saw." Lee said while trying to get a better view.

Suddenly Clementine's radio came to life. "If I were you, I would get out of the street, now."

"I thought that thing was busted." Jeremie said surprised by the device coming to life.

Lee picked up the radio and quickly asked, "Hello? Are you there? Who is this?"

The bell finally stopped ringing and Odd asked, "What was that? Was someone trying to screw with us?"

"It sounded more like a warning." Ben replied.

Chuck turned around and stated, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls."

"What are you yammering on about?" Kenny asked angrily.

Chuck then extended his hand with the shovel out towards a hoard of walkers that were heading for them and said, "It tolls for thee."

Everyone's eyes widened and Lee exclaimed, "Everybody run!" They scattered as William and Yumi stuck close to Chuck killing walkers with their handguns. Clementine looked up to Lee and gave a look of uncertainty as Carley and Aelita resorted to their handguns, Odd used his crossbow while Jeremie used William's hunting rifle.

Kenny shot a walker and kept going desperately trying to find an opening to get to the river but he was tripped up by another walker on the ground. Kenny fell and was out of reach from his gun. Kenny tried to reach for his gun as the walker tried to bite down on his leg but Kenny prevented that from happening by holding onto a nearby street sign. "Kenny!" Lee exclaimed as he lined the sights of his handgun and shot the walker.

"A little too close don't you think?" Kenny asked somewhat grateful that Lee managed to save his life.

"Ben!" Clementine exclaimed as she and Ben became surrounded.

"No, Ben help her!" Lee exclaimed but it was useless as Ben made a break for it leaving Clementine to fend for herself. "Dammit!" Lee exclaimed as he started to shoot walkers.

Jeremie and Odd also watched to see Ben abandon Clementine. "That idiot is as worthless as Kiwi!" Jeremie exclaimed as he shot a walker that was approaching Clementine.

"Hey, that's my dog you're talking about!" Odd exclaimed as he fired his crossbow at a nearby walker. He then pulled out the arrow and reloaded the crossbow quickly.

Suddenly, Lee's gun clicked indicating that there was no more ammo. Jeremie had the same problem with William's rifle and said, "Shit, not now."

"No!" Lee exclaimed as he ran for Clementine while a walker came close to her. Suddenly, the walker was hit on the head and was impaled by Chuck's shovel.

"Get her out of here; I'll catch up with y'all." Chuck said while pinning the walker as Lee hugged Clementine. Lee nodded and took Clementine's hand. They regrouped with everyone else as Jeremie finished reloading the rifle.

"Come on River Street is just up ahead!" Kenny exclaimed.

"That's not the only thing up ahead." Carley retorted indicating to a mob of walkers heading towards them.

"Oh give me a f****** break!" Kenny exclaimed frustrated by the situation.

Aelita looked around and asked, "Wait, where's Chuck?"

Lee turned around to see that Chuck was struggling to kill walkers with his shovel. Everyone else looked over as well and Odd said, "He's in trouble. We have to help him."

Chuck must have noticed that everyone was waiting for him and he yelled, "I'll be fine; just go!"

Reluctantly, everyone left the area and headed towards a mansion and got inside the backyard which was behind a gate. However in his haste, William tripped and his stitches opened up. He grunted in pain while Yumi got down to check his leg. "Shit, you opened up your wound. You're bleeding everywhere." Yumi then directed her attention to Lee and said, "We need to get him inside, quickly."

Lee nodded and ran to the door that Kenny was working on. "Kenny, how's that door coming?"

"I'm working on it." Kenny shot back.

"Well hurry up. We need to get William inside." Jeremie said frantically.

"Hey kid, I'm not the one who's bleeding." Kenny snapped at Jeremie. Jeremie sent a glare towards Kenny as Kenny worked on the door.

"Maybe I can find us a way in." Lee said to clam everyone down. He then went over and checked on Clementine.

"Are the walkers going to get back here?" Clementine asked worriedly as she stayed alert at the gate.

"Try not to worry." Lee said comfortingly, "Even if they did see us come back here, they're not smart enough to get back here."

"But we got back here." Clementine said.

"Yeah, but those things out there are like dumb animals, all they know how to do is eat." William said trying to calm the girl's nerves.

"I had a pet hamster once, we thought he wasn't that smart but he got out of his cage one night and ate half a box of cookies." Clementine retorted.

"Wow, hungry hamster." William remarked.

Yumi laughed and said, "I don't think this is quite the same, Clem."

"Yeah, this time, we're the cookies." Clementine responded.

"Just stay close to Yumi and William. We aren't going to get eaten." Lee said assuringly.

Clementine seemed to accept this and went over and sat next to William. Lee went back to finding a way in while Aelita and Odd looked at the door for any point of entry.

"Too bad William's injured. He knows his way around a locked door." Aelita said.

"Well right now, we're a little low on options. Get him over here and get him to unlock this door." Kenny said.

"And risk him getting injured even more, pass." Aelita shot back.

Kenny glared at her and said, "Alright so I guess you know how to pick a lock then."

"Kenny don't snap at her." Carley defended Aelita as she approached the group.

Odd then noticed something and said, "Hey we got a dog door down here." The fighting stopped and they looked at the door as Odd pushed on it. "Wait a second, this thing's locked too."

"Well whoever heard of a locked doggie door?" Kenny asked frustrated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I've heard of them. I kind of wanted to get one for Kiwi, but they were too expensive. Basically the dog wears a collar with a chip in it and the door will automatically unlock once the collar is nearby." Odd explained as he got up from inspecting the dog door.

"Great! Every day's a school day." Kenny said sarcastically.

"Do you ever stop whining?" Carley asked unkindly.

Kenny walked up to her and said, "You really want to f*** with me?" Both glared intensely at the other.

Lee went over and separated Kenny to calm him down as Aelita tried to calm Carley. Meanwhile, Jeremie looked around and saw a freshly dug grave. He then eyed a shovel and picked it up and went over to the grave.

"Whoa man. Digging up graves isn't what it used to be." William said worriedly.

"There's more than one reason why I'm using a shovel and not my hands." Jeremie responded as he shoveled up some of the dirt. Lee and Aelita were able to calm Kenny and Carley down. They then went over and watched as Jeremie kept shoveling dirt.

Clementine approached and asked. "What's buried down there?"

"A dog, if we're lucky." Jeremie replied and asked, "How about you join William and Yumi over there?"

"But I want to help." Clementine said.

"I know you do but this might be dangerous. And I would be more comfortable knowing that you're safe." Jeremie replied while wiping some sweat off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Clementine nodded and joined Yumi and William. Jeremie continued digging and finally hit the bottom of the grave where a rotting dog was.

Odd sighed sadly and Aelita asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm just…worried about Kiwi. I mean he could be dead or eaten right now." Odd said sadly.

Aelita put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "Or he could be alive. Don't worry, he's probably fine." Odd smiled at Aelita, but in the back of her mind, Aelita didn't know what has happened to Kiwi.

Jeremie got down and investigated the corpse and eyed the object that he was looking for. "This is going to be absolutely disgusting." Jeremie complained and he extended his hand shakily to reach the collar but he just couldn't get near it.

Lee got down and put a hand on Jeremie's shoulder. "I'll do it." Lee said.

Jeremie nodded and smiled at Lee while he said, "Thank you Lee." Lee nodded and took Jeremie's place, while Jeremie got back up and stood next to Aelita.

Lee picked up the dog by the collar and tried to shake it off. "Argh…I can't get it off." Lee said disgusted, but suddenly, the head fell off the dog's neck and everyone gagged at the sight and smell.

"Okay that is not cool!" Ben exclaimed as Yumi started to dry heave.

Clementine looked over and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I think so." Yumi said getting herself straightened up.

"Are you sure?" William asked concerned

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yumi shot back.

Lee got back up with collar in hand and went over to the door. He put the collar up against the door and it automatically unlocked. "Yes! Holy shit!" Kenny shouted for joy. Everyone but Yumi and William gathered at the door.

Lee got down and tried to reach for the door knob on the other side. However, he couldn't reach it. He got back up and said, "It's no good; I can't get in there."

"Here, let me try." Ben said as he approached the door but Clementine beat him to it.

Lee looked on shocked and asked, "Clem, are you okay? Say something." Everyone wore the same look of fear and concern as Lee until a couple of tense seconds later Clementine opened the door from the other side.

"Tada." The girl said proudly.

Lee got down to her level and said, "Good job Clem, but give us a little warning next time you're going to shoot off like that."

Clementine looked down sadly and said, "I thought I was helping."

"You were. You just had me worried." Lee said.

"Can we finish this inside?" William asked abruptly. "My leg is starting to hurt like hell." With that everyone went inside with Yumi helping William to get inside. Lee was the last to enter but like everyone else he marveled at the large house and the strong defenses. "Urgh!"William exclaimed as Yumi laid him on the couch.

"Sorry." Yumi apologized.

"No, don't worry about it. I feel better being off my feet. Thanks." William said.

Yumi smiled and went over to Clementine and said, "How about you come sit with me and William."

"Okay." Clementine replied and she and Yumi walked over to accompany William. Meanwhile, Carley walked up to Kenny and Lee and asked, "So when were you going to tell us about the radio?"

"Tell you what?" Kenny asked but received a glare from Carley.

"Don't toy with us." Aelita said angrily. "You two knew the radio was working and didn't tell us, why?"

"We were going to tell you. Kenny and I only found out this morning." Lee said in defense. This seemed to satisfy Carley and Aelita as they seemed to calm down.

"Besides, who gives a shit of the damn radio?" Kenny asked rhetorically. "I want to know who that asshole was that rang that bell and brought the dead on top of us."

"What makes you think that the two aren't the same?" Carley asked. "Whoever came in on that radio was close enough to know what was happening and we didn't see anyone else but that guy in the bell tower."

"Because that doesn't make a lick of damn sense." Kenny replied. "Why would they send the dead out like that and then try to warn us about it?"

"All I know is that this guy is following us and I don't like being followed." Lee stated.

"All the more reason to get on a boat, so we can't be followed." Kenny said.

Jeremie shook his head and said, "He doesn't want us dead but then why is he after us? If he was after our supplies, wouldn't he wanted to kill us out in the street to get our gear more easily?"

Lee looked down sadly and shook his head. "He's not after our supplies, he is after someone." Jeremie's, Aelita's and Carley's eyes widened as Lee continued, "He is after Clementine."

After a few solemn seconds, Carley spoke up and said, "We're going to have to keep a real sharp eye on the kids. He could be very dangerous." Aelita nodded her head in agreement. Aelita knows first-hand how dangerous men could be from the experience of losing her mother.

"This place seems pretty defendable." Odd said as he approached the group.

"I agree." Kenny said. He, then, turned around to Ben and said, "Come on. You and I will check out the upstairs; Lee and Carley, you two check out downstairs." Lee nodded and he and Carley went through the cupboards in the kitchen. Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd left and went into the living room.

"How are you holding up, William?" Jeremie asked.

"I'm okay but you're going to have to drag me off this couch to make me move." William replied.

"Don't worry, this place seems sturdy. We might stay here for a while." Jeremie chuckled.

"I hope so." William said. "We need a lucky break and have a home again."

Aelita smiled at her friends' enthusiasm and turned to Clementine who looked down sadly. "What's wrong, Clem?"

The teens looked over at her and she said, "I'm sorry that I put you guys in danger. I just wanted to find my parents."

"Hey we don't blame you." Jeremie said as he got down in front of her and placed his hand on Clementine's supportively. "Aelita will tell you; she did a lot of reckless things to get her dad back."

"It's true." Aelita chuckled. "There were several times I put myself in danger and the only way that I got out of it was because of my friends."

Clementine looked up smiling and said, "It's not that bad; I didn't do something wrong?"

"Well, it was kind of wrong for you to talk to this man and tell him where we are." Jeremie said as Clementine's smile fell and she looked down sadly. "But we can still fix it. Don't worry."

"He's right, Clem." Yumi said. "We'll figure something out."

Lee and Carley entered the room after checking the doors and Jeremie asked, "Find anything?"

"Just dog food." Lee replied. "And there's some booze in the back."

"Now there's something." William said happily. "Yumi could you get me some."

Yumi smiled and said, "Sure."

"I don't think so." Carley said standing in front of Yumi's way. "You're way too young to drink."

"Oh come on, I need something to take the edge off." William complained.

Jeremie went rummaging in his backpack and brought out Monroe's first-aid kit and said, "Carley's right, William. Besides, we need you to stay focus, in case you start developing any other symptoms." Jeremie got out a bottle of painkillers and sighed, "I forgot. I gave you the last one back on the train, earlier this morning."

William sighed out of frustration and wiped his forehead. Yumi placed her hand on his forehead and said, "You're warm. You must have contracted something from out there when you opened your stitches.

William looked sadly at Yumi and in response Yumi took his hand into hers; he smiled slightly at her and she smiled back.

Lee turned around and faced Clementine and got down to her level. "Honey, this is very important. Who have you been talking to on that radio?" Clementine was a bit hesitant to respond so Lee continued, "Don't worry, honey. You're not in any trouble. We just need to know who were dealing with."

"He's just a friend. He says that he wants to help me find my parents. I think he just wants to help." Clementine replied.

"Clementine, trust me, that's not what he wants. He-" Carley started but was cut off by Ben.

"Lee!" Ben exclaimed. Lee ran toward the stairs and saw Ben from above. "Lee, you need to come up here now."

"What's wrong?" Lee asked.

"It's Kenny." Ben replied.

**Lee's POV**

Lee looked up into the attic as Ben explained, "Kenny went up there to investigate but I can't get him to come back down."

"Alright." Lee said and he started to climb the ladder. He went up a couple steps and turned around and said, "Stay here." Ben nodded and Lee continued up the attic. Lee spotted Kenny just sitting near the entrance of the attic, not moving an inch. "Ken? What's going on?" Lee asked as he got into the attic and walked towards Kenny. "Gosh, what the heck is that-" Lee stopped mid-sentence when he saw an extemely malnourished walker of what must been a boy. It tried to get up but fell onto the ground. "Oh my gosh." Lee said solemnly.

The two men looked at the poor creature in shock until Kenny said, "He kind of looks like Duck, doesn't he?"

"There's nothing on him. He must have died of hunger while staying up here." Lee observed.

"I don't think I can do it Lee. I couldn't do it before." Kenny said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it Ken, just like last time." Lee replied sympathetically to his friend. Lee then approached the kid and mumbled, "This could have easily been Clementine if I didn't find her when I did." A cold chill went down his spine from the very thought of Clementine becoming a walker as he put his foot on the kid's head. He then applied pressure and killed the walker.

Kenny approached him and said solemnly, "We should bury him." Lee nodded and picked up the walker. Kenny looked on sadly as Lee left the attic with the dead walker.

* * *

Lee entered the backyard and lowered the boy into the dog's grave. He started shoveling the dirt back in until something caught his eye. He looked over to see Clementine looking on sadly as Lee kept burying the boy with Carley behind her. Clementine looked over sympathetically to Lee before walking in the house. Carley followed her as Lee finished.

Lee was close to finishing until he looked up and saw a figure outside the gate. "Hey, hey!" Lee exclaimed. The figure then darted away from the gate and ran for an alley as Lee grabbed onto the gate out of rage and yelled, "You stay the heck away from us, you hear? Leave us alone!" Ben, Carley, Clementine, Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd came running out of the house.

"Lee what's wrong?" Carley asked.

Lee lets go of the gate and said, "I saw someone watching me."

"A walker?" Ben inquired.

"No too fast; he took off like a bat out of hell when I saw him." Lee replied as he approached the group.

"Was it a man or a woman?" Carley asked.

"I don't know; I didn't get a good enough look." Lee replied.

"Why does it matter?" Ben asked.

"Because I want to know if it's the same person on Clementine's radio." Carley replied.

Kenny came out of the house with a saddened look on his face. "Ken?" Lee asked concerned for his friend.

"I'm fine." Kenny said. "What's all the ruckus?"

"Lee saw someone outside the gate." Odd said seriously.

Kenny's face warped from sadness to shock and then anger. "Alright, that's it. We have stayed here long enough. It's time to get back on track and get a boat so we can get out of here."

"Hold on, William is in no shape to move, yet." Aelita objected.

"Well he'd better get ready." Kenny shot back. "Because I ain't waiting any longer for someone to snatch any more of those boats."

"Wait, my parents can't be far now. Maybe we can look for them on the way to the river." Clementine said.

"We need to find a boat first, Clem, like we talked about on the train." Lee said to the young girl.

"Okay." Clementine said sadly.

"We need to find Chuck, too." Aelita said. "Odd and I will come with you to keep an eye out for Clem's parents and Chuck."

"Hold on. This place is very dangerous. I don't feel comfortable with you or Odd going out there." Carley said approaching Aelita. However, Aelita knew Carley was concerned more for her than Odd.

"Everything we do now is dangerous, Carley. And besides, I won't be alone." Aelita said.

"Don't worry, between me and Odd, she won't be in any danger. I promise." Lee said trying to sway Carley's vote.

Carley looked down sadly and nodded her head in defeat. "Time's a wasting." Kenny said, "Everyone get ready."

Everyone went back inside while Ben walked up to Lee and said, "So you're just going to leave me out on the sidelines here?"

"Look Ben, no offense but with what happened out on the street, I just don't feel safe with you coming with us, especially since Odd and Aelita are coming with us. I don't want what happened to Clementine happen again with Odd or Aelita." Lee replied truthfully.

Ben was taken back by the harsh words and asked, "How am I supposed to not take any offense from that?" Ben then huffed and left Lee.

* * *

Aelita and Odd kept scanning the area in hopes of finding someone alive. Lee tried to keep up with Kenny and looked back to see that Odd and Aelita were lagging behind. "Aelita, Odd, come on." Lee said. The two caught up with Lee and he said, "Stay close." They nodded and Lee turned to Kenny and said, "Keep an eye out for Chuck." Kenny didn't respond and just kept walking.

"Well isn't he just sunshine and rainbows?" Odd scoffed. Aelita chuckled at her friend's remark, while Lee looked worriedly at Kenny.

Suddenly, a bell could be heard in the distance and Kenny drew his gun, "Shit, it's that same freaking asshole ringing that bell again."

"Wait." Aelita said. "It's not the same bell as last time. This bell is further off, so it's going to attract the walker's attention to go over there." Aelita pointed toward almost the opposite direction of where they were going. As if on cue, walkers were going down one of the streets and the group ran for cover in an alley

"What the hell is going on?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know, but whoever is ringing that bell might be doing us a favor." Lee observed.

"Whatever man, I find the person who's doing this and I'll ring their motherf****** bell for them." Kenny said angrily.

"Good one." Odd remarked. Aelita rolled her eyes knowing at this point that Kenny was all talk.

"I think we're clear." Lee said as he got out of cover. Kenny advanced as Lee asked, "How did you know that about the bell?"

"I used to be the DJ at Kadic. I even had the chance to perform in front of The Subdigitals so I know quite a bit when it comes to sound frequencies." Aelita replied happily.

"The Subdigitals?" Lee inquired.

"Yeah, they're a famous band in France." Aelita replied.

"Huh…you and your group really are something." Lee said. He looked up to Kenny and saw that the man just standing there. "Kenny what's wrong?" Lee got his answer as he approached the docks. There were almost no boats with the exception of one that was roughly backed in by a truck.

"There has got to be a boat. There has to be." Kenny said panicking.

"It doesn't look like it." Odd said sadly.

"Maybe, it's time for a plan B." Lee remarked.

"This is the plan. You said so yourself back at the house." Kenny snapped at Lee.

"Yeah but that was before-" Lee started to say but stopped himself when Kenny left to check on the only boat there. Lee shook his head and followed Kenny with the teens in tow.

"This one might be salvageable." Kenny said as he observed the wrecked vessel.

"Yeah right!" Odd scoffed. "That thing will sink like a rock!"

Kenny glared at him and asked, "You have a better freaking idea?" Kenny softened his gaze as he turned to Lee and said, "Go ahead and take a look around the water front."

"It might not be a good idea to split up." Lee said.

"We don't have to." Kenny replied. "See that telescope over there?" Kenny asked as he pointed to said object. "You can use that and survey the whole coastline." Lee nodded and Kenny started to examine the boat.

Lee, Odd, and Aelita approached the object as Lee looked at the teens and asked, "Don't suppose you two have a quarter?"

They both shook their heads. Lee sighed but then eyed a booth a little ways from where they were. He walked over to it and opened the cash register. "Figures."

"Empty?" Odd asked. Lee nodded in response and Odd said, "Oh well, that would have been too easy anyway."

Lee chuckled but then looked to Aelita who was frightened by something as she looked down the street. "Aelita, are you okay?" Lee asked concerned.

Aelita slowly shook her head and pointed toward a wall of walkers that were set up on wooden spikes. Lee and Odd turned around and saw the monstrosity and became equally shocked but walked towards it to examine it better.

"What the heck?" Lee asked.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out." Odd said. The two walked away from the wall and towards the center of the street.

"What now?" Lee asked. Odd shrugged but Lee noticed that Aelita was looking at the newspaper machine. Lee walked over and said, "I think that newspaper is outdated."

Aelita chuckled and said, "No. That's not what I'm thinking. I bet if you smash this thing around enough, you could get a coin from it."

"You think?" Lee asked.

"I have no idea but we're out of ideas so what's it going to hurt?" Aelita replied.

Lee shrugged and brought out the monkey wrench that he got from the train and started to bang on the machine until it produced a quarter. Lee picked up the quarter, and he, Aelita, and Odd walked over to the telescope. Lee was about to put a quarter in until they heard Kenny yell, "F***!" Kenny approached the group and said, "It won't work, the haul is cracked beneath the surface and someone stripped the battery out of it."

"I could have told you that." Odd said. "No matter which way you look at it, that boat was not seaworthy."

Kenny scowled at Odd for a second but then looked up to the wall of walkers. "What? What is that?" Kenny asked genuinely frightened.

"I don't think any of us want to know." Aelita said.

Lee inserted the quarter into the machine and looked around the coastline. He had no luck in finding any boats but he spotted something on a nearby building. "Oh shit! Get down!" Lee whispered sharply and everyone went for cover. Over by the stand, stood a figure looking for supplies.

"Why are we hiding?" Kenny whispered.

"That guy over there came down from one of the buildings." Lee replied.

Kenny looked over and said, "That could be our bell ringer. How about we go find out?"

"Kenny." Lee shot back.

"Hey, this guy might be the same guy who has been messing with Clementine's head. Don't you want to get your hands on that asshole because I know I do?" Kenny said angrily as he stole glances at the figure to make sure that the figure would not escape easily.

"We all do, but this guy might just be a survivor like us." Odd said.

"Odd's right. Now is not the time to be rash." Aelita said.

Kenny huffed and said, "Do whatever the heck you want, but I'm getting this guy." He then whipped out his gun.

"We just want to talk to this guy, Ken." Lee said trying to rationalize his friend.

"Oh we're going to talk." Kenny said threateningly as he jumped up from the docks and onto the street and ran for a nearby alley close to the stand.

Lee sighed angrily and Odd said, "Go ahead and sneak up on this guy. If things go wrong, Aelita and I will back you up."

Lee nodded and stealthily approached the stand. Eventually, he was in front of the stand, got up, and was going to attack the figure with the monkey wrench but there was no one there. Suddenly, Lee felt the wrench being taken from his grip. He turned around and received a blow to the head by the figure. Lee fell to the ground with a pained grunt. Aelita and Odd looked on shocked as Odd locked his sights on the figure with his crossbow.

"Almost got him." Odd said as the figure approached Lee and discarded Lee's melee weapon.

At the last moment, Aelita spotted something and said, "Odd don't." Aelita then grabbed his crossbow.

"Hey what are you doing?" Odd asked.

Suddenly, they both heard someone yell, "No!" It was Clementine.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"No!" Clementine exclaimed. The figure turned around and looked at Clementine with widened eyes.

"Clem?" Lee asked as he tried to get up.

"Please, don't hurt him." Clementine begged.

The figure looked down at Lee and back at Clem. He struggled with the decision of not hurting Lee but he finally got off of Lee, allowing him to live. Lee got up and walked towards Clementine checking to see if she was okay. Aelita and Odd approached them as the figure said, "You're not from Crawford." The figure was revealed to be a woman as she took off the surgical mask and lowered her hood.

"You're not the guy on the radio." Lee said.

"I'm not a guy at all, full marks on that observation." The woman said as Kenny came out of the alley with his gun raised. He approached the woman with an angry scowl.

"Kenny, don't!" Aelita exclaimed. However the woman noticed him from out of the corner of her eye and spun around with a slide, knocking Kenny down. He pulled the trigger of his handgun accidentally as he fell which roused the nearby walkers that acted as a fence.

The woman kicked his gun away and was about to strike until Lee yelled out, "No, he's with us!"

The woman looked around as Kenny got back up and said somewhat harshly, "Who the heck are you people?"

"Everyone, just calm down." Odd said sensing the stress between the group and the woman.

"I'll calm down when she tells me who heck she is." Kenny said angrily.

"Back off, Grandpa. The name's Molly." The woman said.

"Hi, Molly." Lee said and he introduced everyone. "My name is Lee. This is Kenny, Aelita, Odd, and Clementine."

"Hi." Clementine said and she waved at Molly. Molly looked over at Clementine with an intrigued look.

"You guys really aren't from Crawford, are you?" Molly asked.

"I don't even know what that is." Lee stated bluntly.

"Everything beyond that barricade." Molly said pointing to the wall of walkers.

"Y-You're kidding right?" Aelita asked horrified.

"I wish I was." Molly said as she glared at the wall of walkers. "Crawford is all about survival of the fittest and anyone who wouldn't or couldn't live up to their expectations was forced to leave or this would happen."

"Our group doesn't operate like that." Lee stated.

Molly turned away from the wall and looked at Lee with a smile. "Good, at least there are some decent people still alive in all this shit."

"Do you know who has been ringing those bells all over town?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, that would be me." Molly replied.

Kenny became angry and glared at Molly. "Lee I knew it." He pointed his finger into her face and said, "I knew she has been following us, f****** with us!"

"Get that finger out of my face, Grandpa, before I shove it up your ass." Molly said angrily. She then directed her attention to everyone and said, "I haven't been following you. I don't even know who you people are."

"Kenny relax, the voice on Clem's radio was a guy's remember?" Lee said in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"You know by ringing that bell you brought the dead right on top of us." Aelita said sadly. "A friend of ours got separated from the rest of us."

Molly looked apologetic to Aelita and said, "Sorry, I didn't think anyone was down below. Savannah doesn't get many visitors anymore." Molly then adjusted her view to Lee and said, "Look you guys obviously aren't from Crawford, but who the heck are you?"

"We came from Macon. We just came here looking for a boat." Lee replied.

"Well, good luck with that because anyone who had a boat left as soon as people started eating each other." Molly said. Everyone's eyes widened, but Kenny was the most shocked.

"There's got to be a boat." Kenny said desperately.

"Don't you think if there was, I'd be out of here by now?" Molly retorted. "I've been up and down this place; the city's picked clean."

Frustration and hopelessness coursed through Kenny as he left the group to rant a few feet from them, "Dammit! F***!"

"Hey moron, you want to keep your voice down." Molly scolded Kenny. Kenny's reply was a quieter and defeated "Dammit."

"Okay, we'll just make another plan." Odd said.

"That's a good idea. You guys better get out of here before…" Molly trailed off as she saw a bunch of walkers coming down the street. "Dammit."

Kenny rejoined the group as they looked on in horror. "Isn't that…"

"…the same way we came in?" Lee finished Kenny's sentence.

"Shit, gunshot must have brought them back." Kenny stated.

"Is there another way back?" Aelita asked.

Lee turned around to address Molly, "Molly is there…" He stopped himself as he saw that Molly was heading down an alley. The group followed her as she used the building and her advanced parkour skills to reach a fire escape on another building. "Is there another way back?" Lee yelled to get her attention.

"Don't know, don't care." Molly stated coldly as she pulled herself up and was about to leave.

"Please, don't leave us." Clementine begged.

Molly turned around and saw Clementine's sad eyes. Molly sighed as she accepted defeat and said, "Fine just make it fast." Molly then got down so she could reach the group; she extended her hand ready to help them.

Meanwhile, the walkers were getting closer and Aelita noticed this. "You'd better hurry up!" Aelita exclaimed as she grabbed her 8mm handgun from her backpack and started shooting.

Clementine was the first to be sent up by Lee. He then grabbed onto Odd and hoisted him up, followed by Kenny. "Aelita, you're next. Come on." Lee said as Aelita shot another walker. She put her handgun back in her bag and ran towards Lee. Lee lifted her up and she reached for Kenny's hand. Kenny got a hold of her arm but only momentarily as he lets go and clutched his side in pain. Aelita yelped as she fell, but thankfully, Lee caught her. "Come on." Lee said as he ran for the other side of the alley but the walkers blocked their path. Lee and Aelita looked around frantically for anything of use until Lee spotted a manhole cover.

"Hurry!" Clementine exclaimed as the walkers were getting closer.

"Aelita!" Odd exclaimed worriedly.

Lee tried to pry the manhole cover with his hand but it wouldn't budge. "It's no good!" Lee exclaimed.

"Here pry it with this!" Molly yelled over the constant moaning and gurgling of the approaching walkers and threw the ice pick down. Aelita ran and grabbed it and gave it to Lee. With some force, Lee was able to pick up manhole cover and started down the ladder with Aelita in tow.

"Lee!" Clementine screamed. Shock and worry ran through her as she looked on in horror to see the walkers all over the area.

"Jeremie is going to kill me!" Odd whined.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lee and Aelita had reached the bottom of the ladder and looked up in time to see a walker fall and hit the floor. Aelita yelped as the creature hit the ground and Lee asked, "Are you alright?"

"That thing just scared me." Aelita said as she stared horrified by the creature

"I guess they need to start working on their landing." Lee joked. He then grew serious and yelled. "Clementine, can you hear me?" Lee took a long pause but received no answer. "If you can, just go back to the house. I'll meet you there."

Aelita started to reload her gun, however she stopped momentarily and handed a flashlight to Lee. "You lead the way as soon as I'm done reloading."

Lee nodded and eventually Aelita had a full clip. She reloaded her gun and gave a nod. Lee took the hint and turned on the flashlight. Eventually the two found a sewage drain. Lee went down it first and managed to not slip on the raw sewage. He waited for Aelita and scanned the area until to his horror, he found half-eaten rats.

Aelita jumped down and saw his worried expression, "What's wrong?" Aelita asked

Aelita followed the beam of the flashlight and her eyes widened, "We're not alone down here." Lee said.

Aelita nodded and Lee kept going. They rounded a corner and looked on horrified as ten walkers feasted on something while another one stood aimlessly down toward a platform which had a door and broken ladder. Lee quietly signaled for them to go into a small, nearby tunnel. Aelita followed his lead and they went into the tunnel. There, they found a gage and wheel.

"Huh…I wonder what this does." Lee said as he observed the wheel.

"Only one way to find out." Aelita replied as she turned the wheel and water started to pour from a drain outside of where they were.

"I'm glad that we're in here." Lee remarked as an unfortunate walker was swept away by the current. Aelita messed with the wheel and tried to yank it off but was unsuccessful. She huffed as she tried to yank the wheel off, but eventually, she stopped to catch her breath. "What are you doing?" Lee asked.

"The wheel on here is loose. We can use it on the gage outside and distract the walkers." Aelita replied. "The only problem is that it's still not loose enough for me to yank it off." Aelita then took the flashlight and said, "See what you can do with it."

Lee nodded and pulled off the wheel after struggling with it for a couple of seconds. "Got it." Lee said as he successfully yanked the wheel off. He went to a closed gate and used Molly's ice pick to pull the latch apart. He opened the door and crawled out of the space. Aelita followed but Lee stopped her. "I'll be right back; just stay crouched down." Aelita nodded and stayed in the tunnel.

Lee walked over to the gage and put the wheel on it. He twisted the wheel and opened a large drain. The walkers took notice and started to walk to the drain. "Here they come." Lee remarked and he walked to the tunnel Aelita was in.

They waited till they couldn't see any more walkers pass by the tunnel and they climbed out of the tunnel. They kept walking until they both saw Chuck.

"It's Chuck." Lee stated observantly. Lee took the revolver that was in Chuck's hand. "No bullets left, he must have saved the last one for himself."

Aelita placed a comforting hand on Chuck's face and said, "Thank you. If you hadn't been there for me, I'd still be mad and might be worse." Lee put a comforting hand on Aelita's shoulder. She looked up and nodded. Lee helped her up and the two went toward the straggler until something grabbed Lee's foot.

Somehow, a walker had managed to slip into a caged underground portion. Unfortunately, Lee made enough noise to attract the straggler and it headed towards him. He dug the ice pick into the walker's hand and with some force he removed it. Meanwhile, Aelita took out a pocket knife and stabbed the straggler in the skull with it, killing the creature.

She removed the weapon as Lee regained his composure and he walked towards her, "Nice job, now let's get out of here." Lee went up on the platform and tried to open the door with the ice pick but the handle broke off. "We're not going out that way." Lee sighed. Aelita knocked on a metal plate that had a poster on it. As she knocked on it, it produced a loud echo and Lee exclaimed, "Don't do that!" He then looked over and saw that the walkers hadn't noticed.

"Sorry." Aelita apologized. "But there was an echo that means that the other side of this thing is hallowed out." Aelita took the plate down and looked happily into a hole that led to a room.

"Nice job, Aelita. I need to bring you more often; you're more observant than Kenny." Lee praised the girl as he stepped in. Aelita followed him into the room.

Once inside, Aelita and Lee looked around. "According to the sign, this must have been a fallout shelter in the mid-sixties back at the height of the Cold War." Lee remarked as he stared from the sign to his young companion.

However, Aelita didn't care about what this place was, all she was looking at was the shelves of food. She was practically drooling until Lee snapped his fingers in front of her. "I'm sorry." Aelita apologized as she shook her head to get focused. "I just haven't seen this much food in a while."

Lee smiled at her and said, "I know you haven't." He then looked to the door of the shelter and said, "Hopefully, whoever owns this food, will be nice enough to give us some that is if we ask nicely." Lee approached the door and opened it. He motioned for Aelita to get behind him just in case whoever was in there might be hostile. She obliged and got behind Lee; she gripped the back of his shirt as he made his way in.

Inside there were two people talking, an older African-American man and a slightly overweight middle-aged woman. There was another African-American man counting up the supplies who seemed to be in his forties and an older woman lying on a bed near the two who were talking to each other. Three of them looked up and saw Lee as another man whipped around the door and had a revolver pointed at Lee. "Who are you?" The man asked. His hands were shaky and the grip on his gun wasn't strong. He was afraid of Lee or possibly afraid to shoot him.

Lee raised his arms and said, "It's alright; it's okay. We don't want any trouble."

"We?" The slightly overweight woman approached somewhat angrily. "All I see is you."

Lee put his hand behind to reach Aelita but the man stopped him. "Stop right now or I'll shoot you!"

"It's alright, just relax. I'm not going to do anything to hurt you." Lee said as he slowly reached behind and tapped Aelita's shoulder as a signal for her to come out.

She did so and everyone's eyes widened. The man lowered his weapon as Lee put his hands on Aelita's shoulders comfortingly as she shook in fear. Lee continued and said, "We don't want any trouble; we just need help."

"You aren't from Crawford?" The man asked.

"No, I've seen what they do. My group and I don't work in that way." Lee replied.

"Please, we just need help." Aelita said catching the man off-guard. "We were separated from the rest of our group down by the river. All we want to do is get back to them."

"I have only one other question to ask you." The man replied as he lowered his gun seeing now that Lee wasn't a threat. "What are your names?" The man asked smiling and less tense.

"I'm Lee and this is Aelita." Lee introduced them both.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both." The man said extending his hand out. Lee smiled and shook it. "My name is Vernon, over there you have Clive, Brie, and Boyd. The one on the bed is Joyce."

Aelita looked over sadly at Joyce and asked, "Is she going to be alright?"

"Yeah, she's in the final stages of recovery." Vernon said. "So why were you guys down by the river?"

"We were looking for a boat. However, we got attacked and the only reason why we're alive right now is because we used the sewers to escape." Lee explained.

"Well, good news is that those same sewers run all over the city. They can take you where you need to go." Vernon said happily.

"Those sewers are like a damn maze. You think you can help us out?" Lee asked.

"Look I wish I could but Joyce's condition could worsen and I'm the only doctor among us." Vernon replied sadly. Aelita's eyes widened as Vernon mentioned that he was a doctor.

"Besides, why should we help you?" Brie snapped at Lee.

"Wait, please, you have to come with us." Aelita begged. "My friend, William, he dislocated his ankle the other day and his shin is split open. Earlier today, he opened up his stitches and the wound must have gotten infected; he was feeling warm last we checked."

Vernon looked down sadly unresponsive; he was conflicted whether to help the new people and leave his own or deny them. "Please." Aelita continued. "William could die if he doesn't get proper medical attention."

Vernon inhaled and exhaled slowly and said, "Okay, I'll come with you."

"Thank you so much." Aelita said happily.

Vernon smiled slightly by the young girl's enthusiasm until one of his people, Clive, spoke up. "But we need you here."

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Vernon replied. He then went up and checked on Joyce one more time and gave Boyd a nod. Vernon then went to Brie and hugged her and gave a nod to Clive and finally headed towards Lee and Aelita. "Let's go." They then went out the door and headed towards the mansion.

* * *

Lee, Aelita, and Vernon enter the house. Lee called for Clementine a couple of times but then he heard rummaging from the kitchen and looked over to see Molly was picking through the cupboards. "Molly?" Lee said getting the woman's attention.

Molly looked up and said, "Oh hey, you made it back." She then looked at Vernon and asked, "Who's the fossil?"

"This is Vernon; he is doctor." Lee replied.

"Is she part of your group too?" Vernon asked as he crossed his arms unimpressed by the insult.

"They didn't tell you about me?" Molly inquired and rolled her eyes. "I'm the one who gave him a beating back at the docks for trying to get the jump on me. By the way, you have something that belongs to me." Lee smiled and handed the ice pick back to Molly.

Molly accepted it and was about to leave until Aelita spoke up, "Molly wait." Molly turned around with a questioning look and Aelita continued, "Thanks for saving us back at the river."

Molly's stare softened and she smiled back at the teen and said, "You're welcome." Molly then went and rummaged through the rest of the house leaving the Lee, Aelita, and Vernon at the door.

Suddenly, they could hear someone running down the stairs; it was Yumi. When she saw the three by the doorway, Yumi headed towards them and said, "Lee, thank goodness you're back."

"Yumi, what's wrong?" Lee asked worriedly.

"It's William, he's getting worse. Jeremie is doing all he can but he is not as experienced as Monroe was and we have limited supplies." Yumi replied. Yumi then looked to Vernon with an intrigued look and asked, "Who's this?"

"This is Vernon. He's a doctor and he helped us get back here." Lee explained.

"Please you got to help my friend." Yumi begged.

Vernon nodded and said, "How can I refuse? Take me to him."

Yumi nodded and turned to Aelita, "I'll send Jeremie and Carley down. They've been worried sick about you." She then led Vernon upstairs. Lee went upstairs also to see if Clementine was up there.

* * *

Yumi opened the door to William's room and saw Jeremie checking his temperature. "Good news." Yumi said bluntly to Jeremie and Carley. The two looked up to see Vernon and Lee. "Lee brought us a doctor."

"That is good news." Jeremie said tiredly.

Carley got up and hugged Lee. "I'm glad to see you're okay. When Odd, Clementine, and Kenny returned and said that you and Aelita got separated from them… I feared the worse."

Lee hugged her back comfortingly and said, "Don't worry, I'm alright and so is Aelita."

"That's music to my ears." Jeremie said and he ran downstairs to see the girl waiting for him. He ran up and hugged her. "You scared me half to death." Aelita didn't hug back and instead just stared emotionless. Jeremie released her from his embrace and noticed her strange behavior. "Hey, are you alright?" Jeremie held her hands comfortingly and waited for a response.

Aelita looked at him sadly and said, "When we went down into the sewers, there were a bunch of walkers eating on something, on someone." Her face still showed sadness and she continued, "They were eating Chuck."

Jeremie's eyes widened and said, "Aelita, I'm so sorry. I know you and him were close."

Aelita shook her head and then looked up to Jeremie and said, "It's more than that, Jeremie. If Chuck was never there for me, I would still be mourning for Monroe's death. He helped me get through a really tough time in my life."

Jeremie nodded understandingly and said, "We'll all miss Chuck but you still have me and Carley here for you."

Aelita looked to her boyfriend and smiled. "I'm lucky to just have you."

Suddenly, someone came down the stairs. It was Lee. "I got to get to the backyard now." Lee said worriedly.

The teens got out of his way and were going to follow him until Aelita felt someone hug her from behind. Aelita stiffened for a second until she heard Carley's comforting voice, "I'm so glad you're okay." Carley loosened her grip and lets go of Aelita altogether.

Aelita turned around and was eye to eye with Carley. She gave a kind stare at Carley before she hugged Carley. "I'm sorry. I thought we would have been alright, but everything went wrong."

Carley hugged her back and said, "It's alright, honey, as long as you're safe and okay, everything is alright."

Kenny walked by them wobbly and said, "Oh hey, Aelita…I haven't seen ya since…uh, what were we talking about again."

"Kenny?" Aelita said concerned for the man.

"Don't worry about him; he's drunk." Carley replied as she put arm on Aelita's shoulder comfortingly. Kenny slowly and wobbly made it to the door and opened the door.

"Why?" Jeremie asked.

"It's Kenny, why else." Carley replied.

Eventually, Jeremie and Aelita went to the living room while Carley decided to be useful by taking stock of their supplies. Jeremie sat on the couch while Aelita leaned into him; both blushed as the moment continued for several minutes, until the door flew open with Kenny exclaiming, "Yes! Just f****** yes!" Kenny then ran for the living room as Lee and Clementine entered the house. Jeremie and Aelita ran into the kitchen to see Lee and Clementine.

"What's going on?" Jeremie asked Lee.

Lee said nothing and motioned to Clementine. The girl smiled and said, "We found a boat." Their eyes widened as Kenny was practically dragging Ben outside to come and look over the boat with him.

**An Hour Later**

Odd sat on the sofa, asleep, snoring up a storm while Carley was finishing taking count of their supplies from the giant dining table. Jeremie held Aelita as the two slept peacefully not disturbed by Odd's snoring. Lee was pacing back and forth in the room as Molly stared out the window watching a couple of stragglers go by. Yumi and Vernon came down the stairs and took their seats. Yumi looked over sadly at Jeremie and Aelita remembering all of the good times with Ulrich. "How's William doing?" Lee asked concerned.

"I've done all I could." Vernon replied. "Without antibiotics, I-"

Vernon was then interrupted by Molly as she said, "Will you stop pacing the room? You're making everyone nervous." This woke Jeremie and Aelita. They quickly realized everyone was in the room instead of a sleeping Odd and separated. Aelita got up from Jeremie, and the two looked at each other with a heavy blush as Lee and Vernon snickered.

Carley entered the room and smirked slightly at the two teens but then directed her attention to Molly and asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Hey, if your friend can get that boat working, you're taking me with you as payment for saving your boyfriend and your daughter." Molly shot back.

Carley was shocked at the accusation and said, "Hey you can't just make accusations like-" Carley stopped herself when she saw Kenny and Ben walk back in.

Yumi poked Odd awake as Odd grunted and yawned, "Wh-What's going on?" The group looked over to Kenny who had a somewhat solemn look.

He huffed and asked, "You want the good news or the bad news?"

"Let's get the bad news out of the way first." Lee said.

"Bad news is she's out of gas and the battery is dead." Kenny stated.

Yumi shook her head and asked, "What's the good news?"

"That's it, all she needs is a new battery and some fuel." Kenny said proudly. "Other than that, she's a perfectly sea-worthy vessel."

"So where exactly are we supposed to get this stuff?" Odd asked. "From what Molly said at the river, the city is picked clean." Suddenly, Jeremie smiled mischievously, "Uh oh. I don't like that look on you. That's the same look in my nightmares; I've seen that look way too many times and it never ends well for me."

"I have a plan but it's risky." Everyone turned to the blonde genius with intrigued looks and Jeremie continued, "Crawford has everything we need, so let's pay them a visit."

Vernon's face warped into an angry scowl at the mention of Crawford and said, "Now, hold on."

"Surely, we have to try!" Yumi exclaimed. "If there are people still left in this city that still have supplies, what harm could it be to ask?"

Aelita put her hand on Yumi's shoulder and said, "You have no idea what these people do."

"Listen to your friend." Vernon advised and continued, "You don't know these people, but I do. You show up to their front door step with an injured man, you might as well put a noose around his neck. They don't exactly welcome children with open arms, either."

"What kind of place is this?" Yumi asked horrified.

"The worst kind," Molly retorted. "Besides how do you suppose you're going to persuade them to give us supplies?"

Jeremie crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Who said anything about persuading?" Everyone's eyes widened, no one within the group was expecting Jeremie to resort to fighting.

"That's suicidal!" Ben exclaimed.

"Or maybe not." Aelita said as realization hits her. "Vernon, you said it yourself, the sewers run throughout the city. That includes Crawford, correct?"

"Yes, of course." Vernon said happily. "We can use the sewers to come up and grab the supplies from Crawford and escape before they knew what hits them."

"That's actually not the worst idea that I have ever heard." Molly said equally happy. "I mean it's close but who knows…it might work."

"Trust me, Einstein has come up with worse plans before and we survived." Odd said sarcastically. Jeremie rolled his eyes in response.

"I thought about hitting Crawford before; I just didn't have the people to do it with." Vernon said. He then approached the door and said, "I'm going to go and get ready. I'll be back by nighttime, when Crawford is most vulnerable."

"Be careful." Aelita said to Vernon.

"That's how I'm still alive." Vernon replied and walked out the door.

Jeremie turned to Yumi and Odd and said, "We're going to need everyone's help if we want to do this successfully."

"Count me in." Odd said excitedly.

Yumi was a bit hesitant and said, "It's going to be hard to leave William but I'm coming too. I'm no use to him here." Jeremie smiled at the both of them.

"Me too." The teens heard from downstairs. They looked up to Clementine who seemed excited herself.

Jeremie was shocked to see her and said, "I don't know, Clem; this might be a little out of your league."

"But I want to help and besides Crawford is the only other place that still has people in it which means that it must be where my mom and dad are, right?" Clementine explained. Lee and Carley came into the room and looked up at Clementine.

"Where we're going is just too dangerous, for children especially." Yumi said to Clementine. Clem looked down sadly.

"Hey come on, what's it going to hurt. Between you and me looking out for her, she should be fine." Carley whispered to Lee.

Lee smiled and said, "I know." He looked up to Clementine and said, "Alright, Clem go ahead and get ready." Clementine smiled and ran upstairs. Yumi followed behind to check on William, one last time.

**That Night**

Carley loaded her gun as Molly stretched to get loose for the upcoming stealth mission. Meanwhile, Kenny and Ben were finishing up on some measurements on the boat. Yumi finished checking her throwing knives and Odd finished cleaning his crossbow and loaded a bolt in. Lee, Aelita, Jeremie, and Clementine went outside the house and joined the group as the gate opened. Vernon and Brie entered the yard and Kenny went over and asked somewhat harshly, "Who the hell is this?"

"This is Brie; she can help us." Vernon replied.

"The more help we got, the better. Welcome." Jeremie said happily.

Brie smiled to the boy's kindness and said, "I used to be a student in the old school that Crawford is using so I can get you in and out faster."

"Hey, I found some tools in that shed, hacksaw, hatchet…they might be useful for this little break-in of ours." Kenny then trailed off and asked Lee, "Can I talk to you?" Lee nodded and they walked over towards the gate.

**Lee's POV**

"Hey, I measured that boat, it's a thirty-footer." Kenny said sadly.

"So?" Lee asked unsure of what Kenny was talking about.

"So, were going to have a capacity problem." Kenny stated. "A boat that size can't handle that many people, even if most of its passengers are children. That boat can only hold five people."

Lee then counted off all the people in their group, "There's you, me, Clem, Carley, Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, Yumi, William, Ben, Molly…"

"Even if we cut Molly loose, we're still five people too many." Kenny then looked serious at Lee. "But I have a plan."

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"We cut the kids, forget Jeremie and his group." Kenny said hastily.

"Kenny!" Lee said horrified.

"Look, it's just something to think about. They survived on their own before, they can do it again." Kenny explained to calm Lee down.

"That was different then. They had two other people watching their backs and another one who was uninjured. And how are you going to get Carley to agree to this plan?" Lee shot back

"Wait, what does Carley have to do with any of this?" Kenny asked confused by where the conversation was going.

"Carley has become very attached to Aelita up to recent, and I don't think she's willing to let go of Aelita that easily." Lee responded.

"Look, we'll figure this out later." Kenny said. "For now let's get going." Lee looked at Kenny as he left. This wasn't the same Kenny that he knew from the beginning of the apocalypse. The Kenny he knew would never have thought of leaving the kids behind. Katjaa's and Duck's deaths must be affecting him in a way to where he is becoming cold and insincere. Lee looked up and noticed everyone was heading for the gate.

"Just a minute." Lee said. He got down to Clementine's level and asked, "You ready?"

"Ready." Clementine happily confirmed.

Vernon's eyes widened and he said, "Whoa, you're not taking her with us. If you take her with us and they see her…" Vernon trailed off thinking of the horrible punishment Crawford could do.

"Deal with it. She's coming." Lee said as he got up.

"You heard the man, let's get going." Kenny said. Ben went up and offered a hatchet to Lee. Lee scowled at him and took it. Lee was still angry at the kid for the mistakes he has made. Lee just hoped that Ben would avoid screwing this up. They all walked out of the gate and made it to the closest manhole cover. One by one, they went down into the sewers and headed for Crawford.

**...To Be Continued**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry if this is going to be confusing but I'm going to be using Lee's POV throughout this chapter with some of the Lyoko Warrior's. I'll do my best to indicate when it's someone else's viewpoint with a border line, but it will start out with Lee's POV. Also, I updated this a day early because I got to work during the day instead of the evening on Friday when I normally update, so instead of waiting a day, I decided to post a day early.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"According to the map, we should be right underneath Crawford." Vernon said as he looked up a ladder that led to a manhole cover.

Lee was the first to grab onto the ladder and turned around. "Okay, we need to go up there quietly, grab what we need and then get out of there. We stay close to each other and watch each other's backs." He then looked down to Clementine and said, "That part about staying close goes double for you." Clementine nodded her head in response. Lee, then, led the way to the surface. At the top of the ladder, Lee pushed the manhole cover out of the way and surveyed the area. He gave the all clear signal to the group and ran for the bushes near the school. Everyone followed him and took cover within the bushes.

"Something's wrong." Vernon whispered. "There should be more guards out patrolling."

"What's wrong? You disappointed?" Kenny asked.

"It's just strange, that's all." Vernon replied.

Lee kept his focus on the guard and turned to the group. "I'm going to take that guy out quietly. Odd, if things go to crap, can you shoot him?"

"You got it." Odd said as he lined the sights of his crossbow on the guard.

"Now hold on, Lee." Kenny whispered sharply with a glare. "You're going to have a kid watch your back?"

"Kenny, he is a good shot and his weapon is silent." Lee replied. Kenny said nothing but instead rolled his eyes. Lee headed towards the guard and was about to kill him with his hatchet until the guard turned around. "What the hell?" Lee whispered as the guard turned out to be a walker.

Lee came down with his hatchet on the walker's skull and looked over to his group with a look of shock and confusion. Molly approached Lee and Lee asked, "What the heck is a walker doing inside here."

Suddenly, the gurgling moans of several walkers could be heard. There were two that were limping towards the group and many more walkers were leaning against a cage to try and get to the group. Everyone looked around horrified and Lee whipped around to see the school. "Quick, everyone get inside!" Lee exclaimed.

They all ran inside and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Once they got to the third floor, Vernon and Brie slammed the door shut and leaned against it.

"Shit, shit, do you think that they saw us?" Kenny asked.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Lee replied.

Clementine shook and covered her ears in response, which easily indicated that she was frightened. Aelita noticed this and got down to her level and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little scared." Clementine replied.

"Don't worry." Aelita said reassuringly. She then reached for her backpack and gave Mr. Puck to Clementine. "Mr. Puck has always made me feel safer. But I think you need him more than me."

Clementine was shocked as Aelita handed her doll to her. "No. I can't take this. It's all you have left of your family."

"I know, that's why I'm giving him to you." Aelita said smiling. "I know that you'll keep him safe for me."

Clementine hesitantly took the doll and looked at it with an intrigued look. She looked up to Aelita and smiled, "Thanks, Aelita." Aelita smiled at the girl in response.

"What happened to this place?" Yumi asked. "I thought it was supposed to be secure."

"What always happens, I guess." Molly replied. "In the end, the dead always win."

"Oh man, we are so screwed." Ben said panicking as he paced back and forth.

"Yeah, way to stay optimistic." Odd said sarcastically.

"If anything, this is good." Vernon stated.

"Vernon's right." Lee said. "We can kill walkers easier than armed guards."

"I agree." Kenny said. "So long as we don't let them box us in, we'll be fine. The plan hasn't changed."

"The plan hasn't changed?" Ben exclaimed. "Every time walkers show up, the plan always changes. Do you even know how many are out there?"

"Uh…I don't know, maybe a hundred, two hundred walkers." Odd deadpanned; Ben tensed up when he heard two hundred.

"We're not here to count the walkers, we're here to get the supplies we need and get out." Yumi snapped at Ben.

The group advanced down the hall as Ben muttered, "I have a bad feeling about this." They walked by a classroom which seemed to have several walkers inside by the sound of the constant banging on the door and gurgled moaning. They finally reached a classroom that must have been their center of operations. The room's chalkboard had the layout of the building and what location did what.

"Here, this is the layout." Brie said as she went to the chalkboard.

"Where can we get fuel?" Lee asked.

"Right there." Brie said while pointing to a shed. "If anything, they'd use that shed to store fuel."

"Alright, how about medicine?" Yumi asked.

"There, nurse's station. They were using it as a medical facility." Molly stated.

"Makes sense." Aelita said. "How about a battery?"

"Try the auto shop. It might have one." Brie replied.

"Okay, I'll make a run to the shed to get the fuel." Kenny said.

"It would be faster if I come with you. I can take you right to it." Brie said.

"Me too." Ben said.

"No, I want you and Jeremie to stay here and work on that armory door." Kenny replied as he motioned to said door.

"Odd and I will go to the nurse's station." Yumi said. Odd smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"I'll come with you. I know what to grab." Vernon stated. The two teen nodded in response.

"Alright, that leaves me the battery." Lee said.

"Your girlfriend and I will come with you." Molly said gesturing to Carley. Carley glared at Molly who only snickered in response.

"What about me and Aelita?" Clementine asked.

"Don't worry, Clem. You and I are going to be watching over our little command center." Aelita replied happily.

"Alright, let's get to it." Kenny said and they all left the room with the exception of the four who were going to stay, Lee, and Carley.

"Hey, Lee can I talk to you?" Ben asked as Jeremie went to the door and tried to open it.

"What's up?" Lee asked as they walked away from Jeremie, Aelita, Clementine, and Carley so they couldn't listen in on the conversation.

"I've been helping Kenny out a bit and it's killing me inside, knowing what I know. I mean he's a nice guy and he deserves to know." Ben said hastily.

"Ben, not this again." Lee said while rolling his eyes.

"It's my fault that Katjaa and Duck got bit…so what am I supposed to do when he talks about them, just pretend that I understand and never tell him the truth. I can't live that way." Ben said.

"It's not just about Kenny, Ben. Have you give any thought about Aelita or Yumi? You had a part in Ulrich's disappearance and Monroe's death."

"I know, I know." Ben said sadly.

"Look just don't say anything. Kenny may seem to be alright but he's still on the edge, and I don't want him going over." Lee replied. Ben shook his head angrily and walked over to help Jeremie with the locked door. Lee went over to Carley and motioned her to come with him. She nodded and said goodbye to everyone in the room.

* * *

Lee and Carley kept walking in silence as they tried to get to the auto parts garage since Molly had disappeared. Lee broke the silence when he said, "There is something you need to know."

"Another secret? What now?" Carley asked frustrated while she sent a scowl at Lee.

"Ben was the one slipping our supplies to the bandits back at the motor inn." Lee said bluntly. Carley's eyes widened and she lost her scowl. "I wanted to tell you because…Ben's thinking coming clean, and if he does, both Yumi and Aelita might become very angry."

"And because of my close relationship with Aelita, you think I can calm her down?" Carley inquired.

"Or persuade her from doing the wrong thing." Lee said. "I know what that anger feels like first-hand and I don't want her to live in the world that I endure." Carley looked sympathetically at Lee as they entered a shed. It had an open roof and the two started to climb the shelves. Lee jumped from the roof and landed in the section that led to the auto parts garage door, followed by Carley. Lee went over to the garage door and tried to pry it open with his hands.

Carley, however, went over to the side of the door and picked up a scissor jack. She smirked as Lee continued to struggle with the door. "How about you help me instead of standing over there smirking?" Lee inquired as he continued to struggle with the door.

"Here, macho-man, maybe this thing would help." Carley said as she handed the scissor jack to Lee. Lee grumbled to himself as he inserted the scissor jack into the door.

Suddenly, the two were caught off guard when a walker landed right behind them. Carley pulled out her handgun but stopped when she heard Molly yell, "Don't even think about it!" Molly then appeared as she rappelled down with the use of her weapon. "He deserves to suffer." Molly said darkly and started to beat up the walker.

Lee and Carley exchanged worried expressions, "Molly?" Lee's voice was mute as Molly continued her ruthless onslaught until Lee yelled her name, "Molly!"

"What?" Molly asked angrily.

"I think you got him." Lee deadpanned.

"One more…" Molly huffed as she stabbed the undead creature into the back of its head, killing it. She yanked her ice pick out and looked at the undead creature while she breathed heavily to catch her breath.

Carley was shocked and asked, "Okay, what the hell was that?"

"It doesn't matter." Molly huffed. "Have you found us a way in yet?" Molly asked as she turned to Lee.

"Yeah we're working on it." Lee replied as he went back to the scissor jack. Suddenly from the alley, several walkers were heading towards them. The walkers leaned against the metal fence and it started to creek and groan in response which soon led to it starting to fall.

"Lee hurry with that jack. Molly and I will keep you covered." Carley said as she pulled out her handgun. Lee quickly cranked the scissor jack and was able to open the door. He crawled underneath and looked around as Carley and Molly crawled underneath as well.

Lee looked at a semi-truck and said, "Well, I see where the battery should be."

"Hey, Lee what about this car?" Carley asked as she stood in front of a car that was kept out of reach thanks to a hydraulic lift.

Lee went over and said, "Maybe." He then looked around for a control panel. After looking around, he found the control panel for the hydraulic lift but it didn't work.

"Hey, can you guys hurry up?" Molly asked as she killed a couple of walkers that tried to crawl underneath the door.

Lee then noticed something. "Molly can we borrow that hook thing of yours?"

"Depends if you guys have something that I can use as weapon." Molly responded. Carley went over and traded her gun for Molly's ice pick. "Alright, just make this fast." Molly said as she shot a walker.

Carley gave the ice pick to Lee and Lee sliced the hydraulic hose. The car started to slowly descend but then picked up speed and slammed to the ground. The alarm started to go off. "That's probably not a good thing." Molly exclaimed as she ran up and grabbed her ice pick from Carley and gave Carley her gun back. "I'll handle the geeks but you got to hurry up with getting the battery." Molly then ran over to the garage door as Lee tried to get the battery.

* * *

Meanwhile…Odd, Yumi, and Vernon were looking at the video for any clues when they could hear a car alarm off in the distance. "That doesn't sound good." Odd said worriedly.

"No shit!" Yumi exclaimed. They both ran for the door and looked outside to see several walkers heading towards their door.

Yumi drew her throwing knives while Odd raised his crossbow awaiting the walkers. Odd shot one dead as Yumi threw two of her knives. Odd quickly reloaded and Yumi rushed towards two other walkers and used her parkour skills to kill both with her knives. Odd covered her as he shot another walker that got too close to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and fell back to see that they had one walker left. "You got it?" Yumi asked.

"Getting there." Odd replied as he loaded his third arrow. The walker got closer until it was on top of them but Odd managed to bring the crossbow up, aimed, and fired.

"That was too close." Yumi said. Odd nodded as he pulled out his third arrow and went on to collect his remaining arrows. Yumi also retrieved her throwing knives and sheathed them. The two went back into the room to hear the disappointing news that the tape that they found had no information of what the four-digit password could be for the safe that contained the medicine that they needed.

* * *

Lee took the positive and negative terminals off as Molly kept fighting off the walkers and he said, "I got the battery."

"Good, put it in here." Molly said as she offered her backpack to Lee. Lee opened it and put the battery inside the bag.

"We need to get out of here." Carley said as she looked around. She eyed the top of the semi-truck and the skylight and said, "Come on."

The other two followed her and got on top of the semi-truck as the walkers started to pour into the building. "Now what?" Lee asked.

"Duck." Carley stated bluntly as she pulled out her handgun and shot the skylight. Broken glass rained down but thankfully none of them were hit with any glass. Molly used her ice pick and grabbed onto the frame that held the glass and climbed up. She offered her hand as the truck shook from the walkers trying to get to them.

Carley went up first, followed by Lee. "Okay, now we're on the roof." Lee grumbled.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" Molly asked. She then ran for a ledge and jumped. Thanks to her ice pick, she was able to latch onto the ledge and pulled herself up. "Alright, your turn."

Carley nodded and ran for the ledge and took a hold of Molly's hand. Molly yanked her up and said, "I'm going to need help getting his fat ass up here." Carley chuckled.

"What was that?" Lee asked.

"Nothing, come on and just jump." Molly shot back. She bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. Lee did as Molly asked after a bit of hesitation and the two woman grabbed him. From the ledge, they were able to get back into the school.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Lee asked as he and Carley looked up to Molly.

"Later, there's something that I got to do first." Molly replied.

"Wait, you still have the battery." Lee stated.

"Yeah about that…I think I'll hold onto it and make sure you guys aren't going to leave without me. See ya back in class." Molly said and she left the two. Lee huffed but nonetheless they kept moving down the hall to the classroom.

However, as Lee and Carley were heading back to the classroom they could hear the door open and slam along with Kenny's voice saying, "A little help here." Lee ran for the door and helped close it but a walker stuck its head in between the door, preventing it from closing. Lee, Brie, and Kenny kept struggling with the door until a gunshot rang out and killed the walker that kept the door from closing. Carley, the one who killed the walker, grabbed the hatchet on the ground and handed it to Lee. In turn, Lee placed it into the handles of the door.

They breathed a sigh of relief as Kenny got up and grabbed a full gallon tank of fuel. "You got the fuel!" Lee exclaimed happily.

"Let's not go high-fiving each other yet." Kenny said as he struggled with the container. "How about helping us with these containers? They weigh a damn ton."

Lee complied and they went back to the classroom. As they entered the classroom, they saw that Ben and Jeremie still had not opened the door. "You two need help?" Kenny asked as he set the container down.

"Yeah." Jeremie replied as he got up. "I'm not a lock picking master like William."

"Speaking of which, has Yumi, Odd, and Vernon come back yet?" Carley asked. Aelita and Clementine shook their heads. "That's probably not good. Go ahead and check on them." Carley said to Lee. He nodded in response and headed towards the nurse's station.

He rounded the corner and saw several walkers on the ground. He got down and examined them to find what seemed to be knife and arrow wounds. He entered the door and saw Odd, Vernon, and Yumi looking at a video from the camera.

They noticed him and Odd said, "You may want to take a look at this."

Lee nodded and joined them to watch the doctor, who was now the dead walker that Molly smashed around, give Molly some medication. In the video, Molly explains that her sister needs medicine. However, the doctor refused and she left disgruntled.

"I can't believe she was a part of Crawford at some point." Vernon said unhappily. "I guess no one's hands are clean that are left in this world."

"How we know it." Yumi replied.

"It's her secret. If she wants to reveal it, then that's her choice." Odd said solemnly. "After all, everyone has a deep, dark secret."

Vernon raised an eyebrow and asked, "You saying that you have a secret too?"

Yumi and Odd nodded and Odd said, "We're going to head back; don't take too long." The two then headed out the door and back to the classroom.

"Did you guys get the medicine?" Lee asked.

"Yes, Odd went out and found a couple tapes. One of those tapes showed the doctor opening the locker to the meds." Vernon replied. Lee and Vernon also headed out of the nurse's station and headed towards the classroom. On the way, someone came down from the ceiling scaring both men.

"Holy shit!" Lee exclaimed. The figure was Molly and Lee continued, "You scared the heck out of me!"

"Where have you been?" Vernon asked.

"I had to go do something." Molly stated bluntly.

"You can drop the act, Molly. Lee and I both know you're from Crawford." Vernon said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wait, who told you?" Molly asked unfazed.

"There was a camera set up in that nurse's station; you were on it." Lee replied. Molly looked down sadly and sighed. "Why couldn't you tell us the truth?" Lee asked.

"Well, you never asked, and besides I don't owe you anything." Molly shot back.

"You saved three of my people and helped me and Aelita escape through the sewers, but you can't tell me the truth." Lee said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine, you want to know the truth? My sister, Anna, was diabetic which under Crawford's rules made her a liability. I tried to make sure she had medicine but in the end, I couldn't protect her." Molly started to tear up and she grabbed a photo of her late sister. "This is all I have left of her."

"I'm sorry, Molly, I know how it feels lose family and it's not easy." Vernon said sadly. Lee and Molly looked at him and he continued, "I always wonder, could there have been something that I could have done to save my daughter. Every day, I wish that I could have traded places with her."

Lee looked down sadly. "You know, I ask that every day with me and my family."

Vernon and Molly looked shocked and Molly asked, "What happened?"

"Kenny and his family took me and Clem to Macon. My folks owned a pharmacy in town. When we got there, my folks were gone and my brother…I had to kill him to get the keys to the pharmacy." Both their eyes widened. However their moments of recollection were short-lived as a bell could be heard off in the distance. "I guess that's our queue to leave."

They nodded and started for the classroom. The hallway seemed eerie with the busted lockers, bullet casings on the floor, and the dark blood splattered across the door. The small group slowly approached the classroom when suddenly around the corner came Ben wielding a hatchet.

"Holy shit!" Lee exclaimed.

"Ben!" Molly said angrily as she jumped from seeing him.

"Sorry, sorry, I came out here looking for something to bust the door open." Ben said as extended his hand with the hatchet and continued, "I found this."

"Uh…Ben, where did you get that?" Lee asked worriedly.

"I found it in between the door handles down the hall." Ben replied.

"Oh, no." Lee stated as he, Molly and Vernon looked down the hallway, just in time to see the doors slam open with walkers.

Molly went into a storm of melee kills with her ice pick. She killed several walkers until one of them took a hold of her ice pick and prevented her from using it. "Lee shoot this asshole!" Suddenly a shot rang out and killed the undead creature. Molly got up and regrouped with the others. She approached Lee and said, "Thanks."

Lee looked down at his gun and back at Molly and said, "It wasn't me."

They both looked to the side to see that the shot came from Clementine as she held the gun expertly.

"Nice shot, kid, way to go!" Molly praised as she, Vernon and Ben ran back to the classroom. Lee smiled at Clementine and the two ran back to the classroom, as well.

* * *

Brie barricaded the door with her own body as the walkers tried get inside.

"What's going on?" Kenny asked.

"They're coming." Lee replied. Kenny's eyes widened and he started to kick the door furiously.

"That should hold them." Vernon said.

"Yeah but how do we get out now?" Brie asked as she pushed herself against the door.

Lee went up and grabbed the hatchet from Ben who looked down remorsefully. "Come on, you freaking door, just break." Kenny said angrily as he kicked the door.

"Oh man, this is all my fault. This is all my fault." Ben said panicking.

"Calm down, the last thing we need to do is panic in a situation like this." Jeremie exclaimed.

"Kenny, I'm sorry, man; I'm so sorry." Ben said sadly.

"Ben, we talked about this." Lee said.

"Kid, this is not the best time. Whatever, you did, save it for later." Kenny said as he repeatedly tackled the door, hoping the lock would break.

"Ben, there is a time and place for everything, just not now." Carley begged.

"I'm sorry, I have to tell him." Ben replied. "This whole time it was me. I've been the one putting us in danger."

Kenny did one last kick to the door which smashed the lock and opened the door. He turned around and glared at Ben. "Wait a minute…what are you saying?"

"I was the one slipping the supplies to the bandits back at the motor inn. I thought that I could get them off our back. But then it was discovered and then we had to leave Ulrich…and Monroe, Duck, and Katjaa, they..."

Kenny's glare intensified as Ben gulped nervously. Kenny yelled in anger and ran at him with fury in his eyes. Vernon and Lee were able to restrain him but he wasn't the only one looking for vengeance. Aelita scowled at Ben and ran for him with her pocket knife in hand. Carley immediately noticed this and grabbed Aelita's wrists.

"You p***ant, you're f****** dead you hear me! My wife, my child! You got them both freaking killed!" Kenny shouted angrily.

"Kenny, relax man. You don't want to do this." Lee tried to reason with his friend

"You idiot! My brother is dead because of you!" Aelita shouted as she struggled to break free from Carley's grip.

"Aelita, please, put down the knife. This isn't what you want." Carley said as she restrained Aelita.

Kenny collapsed and tried to take deep breathes as Aelita finally wore herself out. She would have also collapsed but Carley brought her arms around the girl and caught her before she could hit the ground. She breathed heavily as hot tear fell from her eyes.

"Nice group you got here." Molly said sarcastically.

"Not the time, Molly." Lee snapped.

Kenny quickly regained his footing and said, "If this asshole thinks he can get on my boat, after what he did, then he is out of his motherf******* mind." Kenny then turned his scowl completely on Ben and continued, "You hear that p***ant? You can stay here and freaking rot."

"Now, hold on, I agree that Ben has messed up a lot but we can't just leave him out there with nothing." Lee said trying in vain to calm everyone down.

"I agree with Kenny." Yumi said coldly. "You're responsible for what happened to Ulrich and Monroe, and now thanks to your actions, we can't get back to William."

"Wait don't I get a vote?" Clementine asked as she approached the group.

"Of course you do." Lee replied.

"Ben's nice. He's my friend." Clementine said seriously and continued, "We don't leave friends behind that's my vote."

Yumi looked down sadly and shook her head, showing that she wouldn't change her mind.

Odd and Jeremie looked down sadly and shook their heads as well as a sign that they wanted Ben out of the group.

"Wait don't the rest of us get a vote?" Brie asked. Suddenly, a couple of walkers shattered the window and bit down on her. Brie screamed and struggled as another walker bit down on her leg. She struggled with that walker with her fading strength as another one bit down on her neck, killing her. "Brie!" Vernon exclaimed.

"Now can we go?" Molly inquired as she backed away from the walkers that were feasting on Brie.

"Damn right!" Lee exclaimed. "Vernon come on!"

The group ran for the door and entered a bell tower that was connected to the school. Lee kept trying to slam the door shut as Jeremie sorted through the rounds. "I can't believe this is their armory. All they have left are two clips of 8 mm rounds."

"Something is better than nothing, I suppose." Carley stated as Lee leaned against the door.

"You didn't shut that door behind us?" Kenny inquired.

"I couldn't, the lock was busted." Lee replied.

"Great, just f****** great." Kenny complained. He then directed his attention down the bell tower and said, "Come on, there's got to be a way out down here." They headed downstairs and reached a door at the very bottom. Lee opened it and Kenny yelled, "F***!" Inside were several walkers aimlessly walking until they set eyes on the group.

Lee slammed the door shut and leaned against it and said, "It's not going to hold. Back upstairs, go!"

Everyone but Kenny started to head upstairs. Kenny, on the other hand, saw something which was a dead man holding onto a shotgun. "Here, Lee." Kenny said to Lee and tossed the gun up in the air.

Lee caught it and turned around to see the door burst open. Lee shot several walkers as he climbed the stairs backwards until his foot went through a stair step. He tried to yank it out as a walker approached him. His eyes widened when he took notice but the walker was then shot and hit the ground. Several other shots rang out and the remaining walkers that were near Lee fell dead. Lee looked up appreciatively to see that Jeremie, Yumi, and Aelita had covered for him. Lee finally managed to get his foot free of the stair step and killed several other walkers with his hatchet and the last one with his shotgun.

Lee reached the top of the stairs and Clementine ran up to him and hugged him. "It's alright, Clem, I'm okay."

"You guys didn't happen to come into town through the railroad, did you?" Vernon asked.

"Yeah, why?" Jeremie inquired.

Vernon looked a bit shocked but shook his head and said, "Never mind, I can see the way we came in through."

They slowly descended the ladder with Vernon first since he was closest. Vernon was followed by Clementine, Aelita, Yumi, Odd, Jeremie, Carley, and then Kenny.

"Come on Ben." Lee said. Suddenly the bell at the top of the tower started to ring. Both covered their ears from the loud sound until Ben was grabbed by a walker that was attached to the clapper of the bell. Lee aimed with his handgun and shot the walker. However, Ben fell because of the dead walker's grip. Lee dived for Ben and caught his arm, "Don't worry, Ben. I got you."

"Forget about me. You got to go." Ben said.

"Quit screwing around Ben." Lee shot back as he struggled with keeping a hold of Ben.

"Just let go, dammit. Get you and everyone else out of here." Ben said as a couple of walkers tried to grab at him.

"Lee." Kenny said as he stared at the scene with a sad smile. "It's what he wants, just do it." Kenny then descended the ladder, leaving Lee to make the decision.

"Lee, there is no other way." Ben said as he lets go of Lee's arm. Lee struggled to keep his grip because of the lettermen's jacket that Ben wore and Ben continued, "Just let me go."

Drawing on any remaining strength, Lee huffed and dragged Ben back up. "Why?" Ben asked.

"Go, go, go!" Lee exclaimed as two walkers headed towards them. They both ran for the ladder and descended, heading back to the house through the sewers. On the way back, the tension was heavy and uncomfortable. Lee groaned inwardly as he knew something would have to give…maybe even someone.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: Sorry guys I can usually fit an episode in three chapters but this episode is going to be four chapters long. And the next chapter is rather short so I'll update maybe next Tuesday. I don't know yet.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

The group entered the house and they went to the room William was in. Yumi's expression was somber as she stared at the bed. "Yumi? Everything alright?" Lee asked concerned.

"William…" Yumi exclaimed as she ran towards the said boy who wasn't moving. She knelt down on his bedside and cried.

"Yumi, don't! Stay back!" Lee exclaimed.

"Please, you can't leave me, not like Ulrich!" Yumi said tearfully.

"Yumi, get away from him!" Vernon exclaimed. Yumi looked over to Vernon with tears rolling down her face.

Suddenly, William jolted up and took a couple of deep breaths. Lee ran over and put a hand on Yumi's shoulder and pulled her back to get some distance between the two. "Hey…back so soon." William said weakly.

Yumi's expression softened and said, "We got you medicine."

Vernon approached the boy and got a painkiller out of the container while William said, "Good, I think I could use some at this point." William swallowed pill with some water and looked over at everyone. His eyes stopped at Ben and William asked, "You okay, Ben? You look worse than me."

"We almost didn't make it out because of this asshole." Kenny scowled at Ben. However, this time Kenny was the only one to scowl as Aelita left the room; Carley followed her.

"Guys what happened at Crawford?" William asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Jeremie said angrily and headed out the door. "I'm going to go rest up."

"I got a boat to work on." Kenny said equally angry and he left the room.

"Ben, you and I need to talk." Lee said.

"Hold on, Lee, you and I need to talk, too." Vernon said. Vernon then turned his attention to William and said, "For now, all you need to do is rest up."

"Okay, thanks Doc." William replied as he laid his head back down to get some sleep.

"Yes, thank you so much." Yumi added as she took a seat next to William's bed. Vernon nodded happily in response.

Ben, Lee, and Vernon went outside the hall. Lee stood across from Ben and sighed heavily while he had his arms crossed. Ben was nervous and immediately said, "Okay, I get it. I messed up."

"That's not exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." Lee said.

"Then, what is it?" Ben asked frightened. Vernon looked on intrigued to hear what Lee was going to say.

Lee took a deep breath in and out and said, "You need to move on."

"What?" Ben asked horrified.

"You need to move on. There's too much tension in the group to allow you to stay." Lee explained.

"But I won't survive!" Ben exclaimed.

"I'll give you a couple of clips of ammo, some food, a canteen of water, and some meds so you won't be out there completely out of options." Lee explained. Lee gathered up the material and put it into a backpack and gave it to Ben. "Good luck."

Ben looked down sadly and sighed. He took the bag and walked down the steps. He left the house and looked back only once but he wasn't angry; there was still a couple people inside who cared about him. He smiled as he took heart in that and said, "I'll keep going as long as I can, for them." He then headed out to get away from the city.

* * *

Lee heard clapping and he turned around to see Vernon was clapping. Vernon stopped clapping and said sarcastically, "Bravo, you must really care on what happens to your people." Vernon, then, glared at Lee.

"What the f*** did you want me to do? There is too much tension in my group and Ben was a major contributor." Lee said scowling back.

"If you think that what you did was the right thing, then you're kidding yourself." Vernon shot back.

"Who said it was the right decision?" Lee inquired trying to calm down. "It was either that or kill him. I only chose the lesser of the two evils."

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Vernon said as he lessened on his scowl. "That is why I'm wanting to make you an offer." Lee looked at him and he continued, "I'll take Clementine off your hands, take her to my group. Most of us have had kids of our own, so we know how to take care of a child. We're well supplied, well hidden, and now with Crawford out of the way, we have no more enemies. More importantly she'll be safe. Isn't that what you want?"

"No. I'm sorry Vernon but I can't do what you're asking me to do." Lee replied calmly. "I appreciate the offer but I'm going to decline."

Vernon scowled at Lee again and got into Lee's face and said, "One of these days, you will regret that you refused my offer. How long till she is forced out of the group like that kid?"

"That's not going to happen." Lee shot back.

"I think we're done here." Vernon huffed. He descended the stairs and looked up at Lee and continued, "She'll never be safe with you and your people." Vernon then left the house leaving Lee to think about what was said.

* * *

Meanwhile…Aelita entered one of the bedrooms and kept rubbing the temples of her head not from a headache but rather to find a solution. Someone knocked outside the door and Aelita said, "Yeah."

"It's me, Carley. Can I come in?" Carley asked.

"I guess so." Aelita said as she stopped rubbing her head and watched as the door opened. Carley went over and sat down next to the girl and put her arm around her.

"Are you okay?" Carley asked. Carley awaited a response but all she received was Aelita concentrating on the door with a sad expression.

After a few minutes, Aelita spoke up, "I…I never felt so mad before. I mean...I've been upset but not to where I would kill someone." Aelita said sadly.

Carley frowned and started to rub her back comfortingly. "You had every right to be mad. What Ben did was absolutely stupid, but we can't let something like that make us lose our humanity. Aelita, you are the most hopeful person I've ever met. After the world has taken so much from you, you still have hope for the future."

Aelita looked up tiredly at Carley and smiled. Carley hugged Aelita and said, "Now go ahead and get some sleep."

Aelita nodded and she got up and pulled the covers off the bed. She took her boots off and laid down to sleep. Carley smiled and she got up and left the room to allow the girl to sleep. Carley closed the door and went off to find somewhere to sleep as well.

* * *

Lee huffed after several minutes of thinking of what Vernon had said. He paced around for a bit until he heard Molly clear her throat to get his attention. Lee looked over to the woman and she said, "So, hey, I'm out of here. I just wanted to say thanks for everything. It's been fun."

"Where do you think you're going?" Lee asked as he approached her. "Kenny's working on the boat right now. I thought you were coming with us. God knows you've earned it."

"Yeah, I think that I'll pass." Molly replied. "I've always done better on my own. Besides, I never was a big fan of the water."

"Are you sure about this?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. Say goodbye to the others for me; I never was the best at goodbyes" Molly then shifted her focus on Clementine who was in a study room looking out the window. "You make sure that you take care of that little girl. She thinks the world of you."

Lee nodded and offered Molly a hug. Molly smiled and accepted it. "Goodbye kid. Take care of yourself out there." Lee said.

"You too, big guy." Molly replied. They separated and Molly went downstairs and exited the house.

Lee went into the room where Clementine watched Kenny fix the boat. "Hey sweat pea." Lee said to get her attention.

"Kenny's fixing the boat." Clementine said bluntly. "What do we do when he fixes it? Where will we go?"

Lee squatted down to her level and said, "I don't know; I trust Kenny though. He is a good fisherman and knows the water." Clementine looked down sadly and Lee asked, "Clementine, what's wrong?"

"Why did you kick Ben out?" Clementine asked sadly. "Ben was my friend."

Lee's eyes widened. It was the one question that Lee feared and no matter what, it wasn't the right decision. Lee sighed and said, "I'm sorry sweat pea, but there is too much stress in the group and if I let Ben stay, that stress may have driven the group apart. I wish there was another way but it's the best that I could do."

Clementine seemed satisfied with his answer but still seemed gloom. She then asked Lee, "Will we have time to find my parents tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry Clementine. I wish we could but we may not have enough time tomorrow." Lee replied sadly. This broke Clementine's heart. She started to cry as Lee looked on sadly. "Shh… don't cry honey. It's okay." Lee tried to comfort her but all Clementine wanted was her parents. It was something that she always wanted since the apocalypse began. No matter how close Lee had gotten to the girl, he could never fill that hole in her heart, where her parents were. Clementine turned her back to Lee and cried herself to sleep in a little ball. Defeated, Lee went over to the couch and let sleep take him, as well.

Lee woke up feeling rested. His vision started out blurry but eventually he could see the room. Panic started going through him when he saw that Clementine wasn't near the window where she slept last time. Did Vernon take her after all? Lee got and yelled her name a couple of times, looking frantically for her. He went outside and to his horror he found her hat. The hat was one of the girl's most treasured items. He went over and picked it up and examined it for blood; thankfully, there was none. He then eyed a familiar elf-like doll. "Oh no, whoever took Clementine must have taken Aelita too." Lee said as went to check the doll, but then he remembered that Aelita gave Mr. Puck to Clementine back at Crawford.

He then heard radio static from the other side of the fence. He jumped the fence and went over to the radio, which was Clementine's walkie-talkie. Lee squatted down and picked up the radio and looked at it until a walker came out from behind a piece of dry wall. Lee retracted his arm immediately but couldn't help but a stinging feeling in his arm. He struggled with the walker, but easily gained the upper hand and slammed the walker's skull into the fence. He proceeded to do so until the walker stopped struggling. Lee lets go of the walker and picks up Clementine's radio, Mr. Puck, and Clementine's hat. However when Lee picked up Clementine's hat, he noticed blood on it. Lee looked on shocked as he looked at his arm and saw a bite mark; it was the walker's bite mark. "No, no, no…what the f***?" Lee said sadly as he looked at his arm.

"Lee you out here? Lee?" Carley asked. She was accompanied by the rest of his group including William who seemed to be walking fine now.

The group rounded the corner and saw Lee standing outside the gate. "What are you doing out here? It's not safe." Jeremie said.

"Lee, where's Clementine? She's not in her room." Yumi asked worriedly.

"Vernon's not in the house either. What the heck is going on?" Kenny added.

Aelita then noticed blood on Clementine's hat. She gasped in horror and asked, "Lee, whose blood is that?"

Lee sighed and said, "It's mine." He turned around to address the group and showed his arm and continued, "A walker jumped me while I was looking for Clementine."

Kenny looked on horrified and said, "No way, no f****** way!"

"There's no time to worry about me. Clementine's gone." Lee said.

"There's no way she would just go off on her own." Jeremie said. "Someone had to have taken her."

"Do you know what sick f*** would do this?" Kenny asked angrily.

"Maybe. Vernon came to me last night and offered to take Clementine off my hands. I refused but he may have taken her anyway." Lee said.

"That sick bastard. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him." Kenny said scowling.

"Wherever she is, I have to find her." Lee said.

"Okay, what do you need from us?" Aelita asked.

"Clem may not have much time. We have a better chance of finding her if we all go together. Who's with me?" Lee asked.

"Clementine is going to need us." Aelita agreed. "And in your condition, you may not make it to her in time."

"You were there for us when we needed you." Jeremie said. "We want to return that favor."

"Hell yeah, let's get going." Odd said enthusiastically.

Lee smiled at the teens and said, "Thank you." He then turned to Carley.

Carley seemed to be on the verge of tears. She and Lee have gotten to be very close but she wiped the tears in her eyes and said, "It's funny. Back at the pharmacy, I didn't trust you, but now I trust you more than any person alive. I'm with you." Lee smiled and hugged Carley.

Lee lets go of her and looks at Kenny. Kenny looked sadly to Lee and said, "You've always had my back, pal. What kind of friend would I be if I let you go and do this alone?"

"Count us in too." Yumi added. "We have to get Clementine back."

"Yeah, besides I owe you guys." William said. "You risked your lives for me by going to Crawford."

"Thank you, guys. Let's get going." Lee said as he started to head toward the fallout shelter that led into a morgue, where Vernon and his people were.

"Wait a second; we can't leave the boat unattended." Kenny said. "What if someone steals it?"

"If someone was going to steal it, they would have done so already." Carley said.

"Yeah, I…I guess you're right." Kenny said.

"Let's get going." Jeremie said as he passed the two adults with Aelita by his side. Lee led the group and they made their way to a nearby manhole cover.

* * *

Lee opened the door to the morgue and looked around for any sign of Clementine or Vernon. Lee put his hands up and said, "Vernon, there doesn't have to be any trouble here. All I want is the girl. Give her back and nobody needs to get hurt." However, Lee's voice fell on deaf ears as the place looked abandoned.

"I don't get it. Why isn't there anybody here?" Odd asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Jeremie replied.

Lee sighed frustrated and he put his hand to his forehead until he could hear something. He looked up at a window to see walkers going down the street.

The others took notice and Jeremie said, "So that's what Vernon saw while we were at Crawford."

"Lee?" A voice could be heard on Clementine's radio. The voice was soft and child-like; it was Clementine.

Lee picked up the radio and said, "Clementine, are you alright? Where are you?" Lee then became angry and said, "Vernon, you son of a bitch."

"Hello Lee." Another voice could be heard on the radio. This voice was different; it sounded more like a man's voice, the same one that Lee and Kenny heard on the train.

"Who is this?" Lee asked angrily.

"Well, it isn't Vernon that's for sure." The man replied. "And if I were you, I would really watch my tone. Clementine's fine; there is a sea of dead between her and you and if there is anything I can be thankful for anymore, it is that."

Lee held onto the radio to respond but hesitated. If anything, Lee did not want Clementine to get hurt. He had to get to Clementine, even if he was going to die because of it.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: Alright, I decided that I will make a grid of who is alive, dead, undead, and unknown by the end of episode 5. I will do only two chapters for the 400 Days DLC. And I will tell you whose story that I'm going to mess with by the end of episode 5.**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Alright, we are up to episode 5 and before we start, I just want to let you know that this is a very big chapter for Aelita. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Please, just don't hurt her." Lee begged into the radio.

"Hurt her?" The stranger inquired. "I'm not the one who hurts people." The stranger's voice took up a tone as a matter-of-factly and he continued, "There's a sea of dead between her and you and if there is anything that I can be thankful for anymore, it's that." To this, the stranger hung up and Lee sighed.

Lee clipped the walkie-talkie to his belt and said desperately, "He better not hurt her, I swear."

Carley approached Lee and hugged him from behind and said, "We'll get her back."

Odd looked at Lee's arm and asked, "How's that feeling?"

"I'm bit, so I'll take that for what it's worth." Lee replied as Carley lets go of him. She looked sympathetically at him for several seconds. Meanwhile the others stare on somewhat anxious as they heard hundreds of walkers groan and moan past the window.

Suddenly, William and Yumi could hear walkers from behind and looked to see several walkers heading towards them. "Guys?" William said. Everyone turned around and saw the small herd heading for them.

"We need to get out of here." Kenny said somewhat calmly as he slammed the door shut. "Lee, Aelita, Jeremie, you three are the smartest f****** out of all of us. See if there is another way out. I think I saw an elevator door upstairs. See if there is a way to pry it open."

The three nodded as Kenny, Carley, Yumi, William, and Odd raise their weapons towards the door. The three looked around the room as the walkers banged on the door from the other side. Jeremie looked through the cabinets, while Lee looked at the beds and Aelita looked at the tables. Jeremie looked into one of the cabinets and said, "I think I may have found something." He, then, pulled out a rib spreader.

Aelita shook unpleasantly and said, "Why would that be used on a body?"

"I have no idea." Jeremie said.

"What did you find, Jeremie?" Lee asked.

"A rib spreader; it could make quick work of the elevator door." Jeremie replied.

Lee smiled and took the device. "I got it." Lee said.

"That's good. Jeremie and I need to talk, anyway." Aelita said hastily. Lee nodded and went upstairs to the elevator door.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jeremie asked perplexed.

"I saw some surgical tools over by the counter." Aelita whispered. "If we amputate his arm, Lee may have a chance."

"We can't do that." Jeremie whispered back.

"I know it's up to Lee, but it might save him." Suddenly everyone could hear something hit the ground. They all ran for the top of the stairs to see that Lee was out cold.

"F***! Is he alive?" Kenny asked worriedly.

"This is bad." Odd said.

"F***!" Kenny exclaimed.

Jeremie checked Lee's pulse and nodded his head.

"Kenny, help me move him." Carley said as she took a hold of his feet. Kenny got Lee from his shoulders and the two got him to an embalming table.

"Well now what?" William asked gloomily.

Aelita turned her head to the surgical supplies. Jeremie nodded sadly and went over and grabbed a tunicate. Odd took out his knife and carefully sliced the sleeve of Lee's shirt and pushed the sleeve of his undershirt up. Jeremie wrapped the tunicate around Lee's arm as Kenny grabbed the bone saw.

Kenny sighed as Jeremie said, "Okay, it's ready."

"Alright, sorry pal, but this has got to be done." Kenny said sadly as he started to inch slightly closer to Lee's forearm with the bone saw.

Suddenly, Lee's eyes shot open and he yelled, "Whoa there!"

"Stop, he's awake!" Yumi exclaimed.

"He's still bit." Kenny snapped.

"So?" Yumi asked.

"This is about saving him or at the very least buying him some time." Kenny said.

Aelita went up Lee and asked, "Do you want us to amputate your arm? It might work."

Lee hesitated for several seconds weighing his options but finally responded with a nod. "Cut it off." Lee said and he got up from the table and extended his arm. He breathed heavily due to nervousness; he knew this was going to hurt.

Kenny and Carley took a look at the bone saw on the ground and Kenny said, "It was easier when he was passed out." Kenny looked at Carley and shrugged.

Carley huffed and said, "Fine." She took the bone saw and said, "William, Odd hold him down." The two boys nodded and went up to Lee. Being stronger, William held Lee's shoulder down, while Odd held onto the infected arm so Lee wouldn't retract it during the amputation. "You ready?" Carley asked Lee as she put the bone saw against his skin.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Lee replied bluntly and awaited the immeasurable pain that was coming his way.

Carley started to make the cut and Lee yelled out in agony. Odd and William struggled to keep their grip on him. "Hold onto him!" Carley yelled as Lee screamed.

"We're trying." William and Odd yelled back in unison.

"SSSSttoooooopppp!" Lee exclaimed.

"I can't!" Carley yelled. "Hang on!" Carley continued to make the cut. She almost finished until Lee slumped into the chair and passed out. Carley took notice but she went back to finishing the cut. Blood squirted out of Lee's stump that used to be his arm.

"I'll go grab the gauze." Aelita said and she ran to the counter and grabbed the gauze tape. She brought it over and started to wrap Lee's stump as William applied pressure.

Aelita finished with her dress covered in blood but Lee's stump wasn't squirting blood everywhere, now. She looked over to Jeremie and Jeremie went to check Lee's pulse. "I need a watch." Jeremie said. Odd went over to Lee's recently cut-off arm and took the watch off.

"Here, Einstein." Odd said as he handed the watch to Jeremie.

"Thanks Odd." Jeremie replied as he took the watch. Jeremie then turned his attention to Odd and William and asked, "Do you think you and William can finish getting that door open?" Odd and William nodded and went to the door upstairs and used the rib spreader to finish opening the elevator door.

Jeremie looked at the group after checking Lee's pulse and smiled indicating that Lee was alive. "He's okay?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, but he's in shock so it'll be a while till he wakes up." Jeremie replied.

**A Couple Hours Later**

Lee woke up with intense pain coming from his left arm. He looked down to see that his left forearm was gone. Lee struggled to get up until Carley went over to help him. "Are you okay?" Carley asked.

"I've been better." Lee said. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours." Odd said as he looked at Lee's watch. "Here, you want it?" Odd said as he offered Lee his watch back.

"Keep it." Lee said. "We need to get moving."

"Now hold on, Lee." Yumi said surprised. "You lost a lot of blood. I don't know if you are ready for travel yet."

Suddenly the door started creak as the walkers in the sewer tried to break down the door. "Ready or not, I'm going to have to be." Lee replied.

"Good, Odd and I opened the elevator door while you were out. Let's get going." William said as he and Odd ran for the door. The rest of the group nodded and followed the two.

"I'll bring up the rear." Lee said as they headed for the elevator door. "I don't want to bleed on anyone. They all looked at Lee for a second, some were worried; however, no one objected.

They went into the elevator shaft and went to the emergency ladder. Kenny went up the ladder first, followed by Carley, then William, Odd, Jeremie, Yumi, Aelita, and finally Lee.

They climbed the ladder with Lee struggling to keep up since he had only one arm. Aelita didn't want to look down since it was a long drop but she did and asked, "Lee, are you okay?"

"I'm fine honey; just keep going." Suddenly a walker came flying down the shaft and Lee yelled, "Watch out!" Everyone hugged ladder to avoid the walker and Lee asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"I didn't know they could fly." Odd remarked to brighten up the atmosphere.

"They can; they just don't know how to stick the landing." Lee chuckled. They continued to climb the ladder, but every time they reached an elevator door, they could hear the groans of several walkers. The hospital probably had thousands of walkers inside at this point.

They finally reached the roof of the hospital through the emergency exit; they came out of the door and looked around. At first, they seemed perplexed as they stared at a paint covered wall saying, 'NO HELP.' However, they soon stared out at the city and quickly became frightened. The group approached the edge to see hundreds of walkers limping around the small section of the city.

"Remember when Savannah was empty?" Kenny asked.

"Those Crawford bastards did one thing right, I guess." Carley said as she looked at the scene in front of her.

"There must be thousands of them." William said.

"Do you think it's possible that they followed us here?" Aelita asked.

"It sure seems like it." Kenny replied.

"That's crazy. They can't track." Yumi said surprised. "All they can do is roam."

"Well that train wasn't exactly discreet. They must have followed the noise." Jeremie replied.

"Clementine's out there, gobbled up in all of this." Lee said worriedly.

"We'll get her back, Lee." Carley said reassuringly.

"Look, let's get our bearings and see if we can figure out a way to get across town. Good?" Kenny asked.

The group nodded and dispersed throughout the roof. Kenny was over examining a fire escape. Odd was looking over the building trying to see if there was any opening in the street below. Jeremie, Aelita and Carley were the closest to Lee looking out toward a church. Finally, William and Yumi were looking at the bell tower that was parallel to the hospital.

Lee went over to Jeremie, Aelita, and Carley and said, "That's the church across from the mansion."

"Yeah, we'll head there to see if we didn't leave anything of use behind." Carley said.

Lee, then, noticed something that slightly disturbed him. "Aelita, you didn't get hurt, did you hon?" Lee asked concerned.

Aelita looked at Lee perplexed until she realized what he meant. She looked down at her dress and shook her head. "No, I wrapped your arm in gauze, that's why I'm drenched in blood." Aelita replied.

"Okay." Lee said.

"Lee, I never got to thank you." Jeremie said.

"Thank me?" Lee inquired.

"I wasn't looking good in the woods, with Katjaa and Duck." Jeremie said sadly as he frowned at the memory. "So, thank you."

Lee put a supportive hand on Jeremie's shoulder and said, "You're welcome, kid." Jeremie smiled and Lee left to talk to Odd. "See anything?" Lee asked.

"A walker, some more walkers, and hey what do you know, more walkers." Odd joked.

Lee chuckled and went over to Kenny. "That looks like Crawford square over there."

"F- that place!" Kenny said angrily with a scowl. He then relaxed and said, "They did help us fix our boat though. We get Clementine back, and we'll head off to the country."

Lee looked surprised at Kenny and asked, "What about the boat?"

Kenny looked to Lee solemnly and said, "What I said the night we went to Crawford was wrong. With our group down to only four members, we need Jeremie and his group."

Lee smiled and said, "I'm glad that you finally realize that."

"Yeah besides, it's not just Carley who's become attached. I've seen you be a father figure to Jeremie and Aelita when they need it, Jeremie especially."

Lee smiled and said, "I'm going to keep looking around, stay safe."

"You got it pal." Kenny replied as he stared down the fire escape.

Lee went over to Yumi and William and asked, "What's up?"

"Bell tower." William stated bluntly.

"I think Lee wants to know what you're thinking." Yumi said to William as she punched his arm.

"Ouch! Easy girl, I'm not Odd." William said rubbing his sore arm.

"Then quit being dumb." Yumi said smugly.

"Feel the love." William said as he rolled his eyes. Yumi chuckled and William looked at Lee and said, "You can use that ladder over there to reach that bell tower and ring the bell to attract the walkers…"

"…Then we can head out of here through the fire escape. That's quite clever, William." Lee finished.

"Yeah, uh, sure." William said.

"You didn't have it planned out above ringing that bell, did you?" Yumi asked smugly.

William scratched the back of his head and grinned and said, "Uh…maybe…"

Lee left the two teens and he went to get the ladder. He took up the ladder and carried it with his good arm. "You need help?" Carley asked.

"No, I got it." Lee said as he struggled with the ladder. He got to the edge of the building and extended the ladder. "Dammit! Shit!" Lee huffed as he slowly lowered it to make a bridge between the bell tower and the hospital.

"What's the plan?" Jeremie asked as he and the rest of the group approached Lee.

Lee turned around and said, "We use the bells to buy us some time. They'll make enough noise to attract as many walkers as we can get this way, get down off the roof on the opposite side, and bust our asses to get back to the mansion."

"You think you should be the one to go?" Carley inquired.

"My leg's feeling better. Let me do it." William said.

"No, if anyone should take a risk like this, it should be the person who has the least to lose." Lee said. "What's the worst that can happen? I get bitten again."

Aelita shook her head and said, "I'll do it." She stepped up to the ladder but Lee got in her way.

"I don't want you to do something this dangerous." Lee said.

"My whole life has been filled with nothing but danger. Before I was able to get my memories back, I would have to rely on my acrobatics and endurance to avoid getting killed by XANA's monsters." Aelita replied. Lee looked shocked and Aelita continued, "I've done more difficult things in Lyoko; I'll be alright."

Lee nodded and stepped aside. Aelita looked behind to see Jeremie and he said, "Just be careful." Jeremie then kissed her and the two stayed lip-lock for a couple seconds.

Kenny grunted while rolling his eyes and Odd said, "Hey, married couple, get a room." This caused the two to stop and laugh slightly while blushing.

They stared at each other longingly for a couple more seconds until Aelita said, "I'll be back." She then started to climb the ladder.

"That thing looks a little rickety." Kenny stated as Aelita climbed the creaking ladder. Aelita shook for a second from the fear of the ladder breaking but continued.

Meanwhile, Carley punched Kenny in the arm and said, "Shut up, you're scaring her."

"My bad, I'll keep it to myself next time." Kenny replied.

Aelita was almost to the bell tower when suddenly the clip broke off and the extended portion of the ladder that Aelita was on started to fall back. She panicked for a second but quickly leapt for the edge of the bell tower as the ladder fell to the ground below.

"Aelita!" Carley screamed in horror fearing for the young girl. Additionally, Carley held her hands over her mouth and started to quiver.

Aelita pulled herself back up and sighed, "Well, that's going to complicate things."

"Holy shit!" William exclaimed. "Aelita, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Aelita responded. Meanwhile, Carley breathed out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding.

"Can you find another way out of there?" Yumi asked.

"I'll try." Aelita said and she went to the hatch that would lead into the inner bell tower. She pulled on it but it wouldn't budge. She sighed angrily and instead went to the rope and pulled on it. The bell was very loud and drew in several walkers. Soon the bell tower was surrounded, leaving the opposite side where the fire escape was, clear.

"Holy shit! I can't believe how many there are." William observed.

"Was there another way off there?" Jeremie asked.

"No, I'm going to have to jump for it." Aelita replied.

Carley was absolutely terrified and looked away. Lee noticed this and went to her side and said, "Have some faith in her. She's as every bit as tough as you." Carley smiled to his encouragement and turned around to see Aelita backing up.

"Okay, okay." Aelita said trying to build up her own confidence. She ran for the edge and jumped from it. Everyone grimaced as she was suspended in midair, including the Lyoko Warriors. They've seen her acrobatics before but that was in Lyoko, where her avatar could slightly boost her abilities. She stuck her landing and grabbed onto the edge of the building's roof. Jeremie ran over and helped her up onto the hospital's roof. "Good damn leap, Aelita." Kenny praised.

Then, Carley ran towards Aelita and hugged her immediately as the girl got up. Carley's grip was almost suffocating and it reminded Aelita of one person that she didn't think of very often. "I'm okay, mom." Aelita said as she returned the hug without even thinking of the words she had just spoken.

Everyone's eyes widened including Carley's and Aelita's. Aelita immediately gasped when she realized what she had called Carley. The two separated from their hug and Carley asked, "Wha-What did you call me?"

"I…I-I'm sorry. I-I wasn't…" Aelita stuttered an apology at Carley but Carley's shock gave way to a smile and she hugged the girl.

Aelita wasn't sure what to think of at first until Carley lets go of her and said, "It's alright honey. You can call me 'mom'." Recently, Carley had thought of Aelita as a daughter and to hear the girl call her that was the most wonderful feeling Carley had felt in her whole life.

Aelita smiled and wanted to hug Carley but Kenny interrupted the conversation, "Uh, we don't have much time. Let's get off this roof and head back to the mansion."

Carley sighed and said, "Kenny's right. Come on." She got up and the group went to the fire escape. On the way, Aelita grabbed Carley's hand and the two looked at each other happily. Meanwhile Jeremie smiled to see that Aelita finally had a mother in her life. She needed one after going twenty years without one.

* * *

A walker wondered around the mansion's back gate walking aimlessly. Suddenly, Lee shot the creature without much hesitation. The group rounded the corner and went to the back of the shed. Everyone stopped and stared on in shock to see an empty shed.

"F*** no!" Kenny exclaimed.

They looked over as Kenny balled up his fist and paced around angrily. Lee looked at him strangely and said, "I thought you didn't care about the boat."

Kenny stopped pacing and looked at Lee sadly and said, "I don't care about the boat anymore. But I loaded all of our supplies on it, so that it would be ready when we all woke up."

"Ah…Ken." Lee grumbled while putting his forehead in his only hand.

Kenny sighed angrily and asked, "Who could have done something like this?" William noticed a note on the opposite door and went to check it.

After a couple seconds, Jeremie spoke up, "It had to have been Vernon and his people."

"You think?" Odd asked.

"Yes, it all adds up now. When we went to get Clementine, Vernon and his people were nowhere to be found. Combine that with the herd that Vernon saw while we were at Crawford and it would make sense that he would rob the boat from us." Jeremie explained.

"That's nuts!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Actually, it's not." William said as he approached the group with the note and continued, "Vernon left this note explaining how sorry he is for taking the boat and leaving us here…and Clementine."

"Well, we definitely know now that Vernon didn't take Clementine." Jeremie stated.

"The freaking invalids did this?" Kenny asked angrily.

"Their actions contradict their characterization, but, yes the invalids." William replied.

"Dammit!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Let's just calm down." Carley said.

"Calm down?" Kenny inquired angrily. "Carley, we have no supplies. Lee is bitten and we don't know how long he is going to last. Clementine is who the heck knows where. And Aelita is covered in blood."

"I think what Carley is saying is that nothing changes immediately. We stay the course and we don't turn on each other." Lee stated while eying the squabbling adults.

They all paused for a moment until Aelita sighed and said, "Odd can you please climb the fence and open the shed door on the other side? We shouldn't be out in the open."

Odd nodded and said, "Yeah," He then handed Aelita his crossbow and continued, "Hang onto that; I'll be right back." Odd then left the group and climbed the fence.

"This is not happening… everything is so screwed." Kenny grumbled.

"Clementine is still out there." Jeremie said trying to keep everyone's hopes up.

"Wait, we get Clementine and then what?" William asked. "We don't exactly have a spare boat lying around."

"We go out to the countryside and make a go at it." Kenny replied.

"You don't want to go look for another boat?" Aelita inquired.

Kenny sighed and said, "No because that first boat wasn't going to help us anyway. The boat we had was a thirty-footer; it wasn't going to be big enough for all of us."

Everyone but Lee was surprised and their eyes widened from the new fact. Odd opened the fence from the other side and Lee said, "Come on, let's finish this in the yard." Everyone nodded and they walked in the yard with the exception of Lee and Carley.

"What do you want to do?" Carley asked Lee. "You should have the final say of what will happen to Clementine and what you want for her."

"Take her out to the country. We've dicked around with cities, boats, and coastlines long enough. Live as safe as you can." Lee replied.

"Look, I agree with you. I think out in the country is the safest place to be. But, you're dead yet so put a cork in it, okay?" Carley shot back and she headed for the yard. Lee sighed and went into the yard to see Jeremie and his group talking.

Jeremie noticed Lee approaching and asked, "Lee do you have any idea where Clementine might be? Since Vernon didn't take her, that means it's up in the air of who took her and where she is."

"I think so. Back on the train, I did plan on finding her parents at the Mar-" Lee started to say but was then interrupted as several sounds could be heard coming from outside the fence.

They were the moans and groans of hundreds of walkers. "Shit, we got company!" William exclaimed. "Inside the house now!" They ran inside and Lee slammed the door shut.

"They shouldn't be able to get into the backyard, right?" Kenny asked. Suddenly there was a loud bang that came from the shed and Kenny continued, "Maybe not."

"We can secure this place." Carley said reassuring the group.

Lee nodded in agreement and said, "Carley, Aelita try to find any weapons you can."

"You got it." Carley said as she and Aelita ran upstairs to find anything of use.

"Kenny and William move anything you can up against the windows." Lee continued

"That's what I was thinking." Kenny said and he and William went into the living room and started to move a couch up against a window.

"Yumi and Jeremie, help Carley and Aelita find anything of use." Lee ordered.

"Yeah, we're on it." Yumi said and the two went upstairs.

Lee looked over to Odd who was quivering as he looked at the door. "Odd. Odd, what's wrong?" Lee asked. Odd said nothing but ran for the door. That's when Lee saw several walker limping towards the opened front doors. "Everybody help Odd!" Lee shouted as he was about to help him until a walker grabbed a hold of his leg. Lee struggled to free himself from the walker's grasp as everyone else ran to the door and tried to slam it shut. However, several walkers were able to get their arms in between the doors and the group couldn't close it because of the flailing undead arms. On one side of the door was Carley, Yumi, Jeremie and Aelita and on the other was Odd, Kenny, and William.

Lee finally won out after several kicks to the dog door that amputated the walker's arm off. Lee got up and heard Kenny say, "Lee, help!"

"Lee, I think there's a cleaver in one of those drawers!" Jeremie exclaimed as he struggled with the door.

Lee nodded and ran into the kitchen and successfully pulled out a cleaver in one of the drawers. He ran to the front doors as William exclaimed, "Cut their damn arms off! Hurry!"

Lee sliced the four arms off and the rest of the group managed to slam the door shut. Most were breathing a sigh of relief as Odd asked, "Okay, now what?"

"Get ready to fight." Lee said as he looked over to one of the front windows as it started to crack.

"Damn, we're not catching a break today, are we?" Yumi complained.

The glass finally shattered as several walkers literally slid inside over the shattered glass. The back door completely gave way and busted open with walkers.

"Quick get upstairs!" Lee exclaimed as he held up his cleaver to cover their escape. A familiar walker limped towards Lee as the group ran upstairs. Lee mumbled under his breath saying, "Brie." He shook his head out of his daze and slashed the walker down.

Lee then climbed the stairs as William, Jeremie, Yumi, Aelita, and Carley shot at the walkers that were flowing in from outside. Meanwhile, Odd and Kenny pushed the office desk in front of a hallway. Lee ran down the hallway followed by Carley, Aelita, Jeremie, Yumi, William, Odd, and finally Kenny as he climbed over the desk into the hallway. "That'll slow them down. We're going to take a freaking stand."

They all got into position to make sure that none were in the way of another person's shot. Lee then broke the silence and said, "We can't let ourselves get trapped."

"Let's get as many as we can." Kenny said, holding out his gun. "When we see an opening, we go for it." He then retracted his arm and unloaded the magazine of his gun and asked, "How many bullets you guys got left?"

"Three." Carley said.

"Five." Jeremie and Lee said in unison.

"I got four." William said.

"Me too." Aelita added in.

"I got two." Yumi stated.

"I got three arrows in my quiver and one that's loaded. So I got four." Odd stated.

"Alright, you all know where to aim." Kenny said. With that, they waited anxiously, each second felt like minutes. Until finally, the first walker came limping around the corner but immediately was shot down by Lee. Several other walker rounded the corner and were shot down by the other group members. From there they took turns shooting until no one had anymore ammo, including Odd who fired his last arrow at a nearby walker. In all respect, the group brought in an impressive body count. None of them missed which brought the total walkers killed up to twenty-seven, however, the walkers continued with their unending and desperate attempts to reach the group. "Shit now what?" Kenny asked worriedly.

Lee then noticed the rope that concealed the ladder that led to the attic and took a hold of it and pulled it down. "To the attic, go!"

They went up the ladder as fast as possible as several walkers slid over the desk at the other end of the hall. During the shuffle to get upstairs, Lee dropped his gun, but he continued knowing that there was no more bullets left. Once in the attic, Lee grabbed the ladder and pulled it up before any walkers could grab a hold of it.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: I have to say that I never expected Carley and Aelita to become a mother/daughter pair. So it was a good thing to kill off my OC because if Monroe stuck around, then Aelita would have just clung onto him. Anyway, I'll update again next Friday.**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: We are almost done with season 1. I want to thank everyone who has managed to survive this far with my terrible grammar and spelling errors, ha ha, just joking. I probably do have quite a few errors but hopefully, I'll correct them one day. Anyway, all of you guys have been awesome. But you probably don't want me to blabber on much, so enjoy!**

**Warning: This is going to be the longest chapter yet so, unless you're a speed reader, don't expect to finish this in two minutes. Also, there is a bit of an awkward scene in this so if you hate it, sorry about your luck; I only wrote it the way I did to create tension.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Well, that could have gone better." Kenny remarked as the gurgled growls and moans of the walkers could be heard in the attic from downstairs in the hall.

"Everyone okay?" Carley asked. She looked around and received nods from mostly everyone.

Kenny was the only person who didn't reply with a nod and said, "Lee's still bitten."

"Shut up." Carley and Aelita snarled back.

"Okay, let's get out of here. We need to keep moving." Jeremie said as he went to the window to check to see if there was another way out; there wasn't but he continued his search.

"Jeremie's right. We got to find another way out of here before that asshole gets away with Clementine." Yumi exclaimed feeling anxious.

Jeremie sighed angrily and said, "There's no way we're going out that window. No latches, no roof access, and thirty feet straight down."

"Anyone have any idea?" Kenny asked.

Odd noticed a bust on a stack of boxes and went to it, "I bet this guy would. He's got a resourceful air to him."

Yumi rolled her eyes and smiled as Aelita giggled at her friend's antics. William laughed and said, "I don't know Odd. It might a long shot."

"Okay, kids, I know that none of you take anything seriously but we need you to focus." Kenny snapped.

The five teens looked at Kenny with surprised stares that immediately became nasty glares. Yumi was the first to speak and she said, "You think we take nothing seriously? Do we need to remind you that we constantly risked our lives every day before the apocalypse?"

Kenny glanced down sadly knowing that he had crossed the line with the Lyoko Warriors to which he replied, "Sorry, I guess I'm just worried about Lee."

"We all are, which is why we shouldn't be snapping at each other." Carley said. "We need an idea."

"There's got to be another way…" Lee huffed and he shivered slightly.

"Whoa, hold on Lee. Are you okay?" Kenny asked worriedly.

Carley went up to him and put her hand to his forehead. "You're not looking good and you're cold." Carley stated.

"I'm fine; don't-" Lee started but was interrupted when the walkie-talkie came to life. It was Clementine. "Lee, Lee, I'm okay. I'm at the place where my parents were-oh no." Suddenly the walkie-talkie went into static. Lee unclipped the walkie-talkie and looked at it.

"Wait a minute, 'the place where her parents were staying,' right?" Carley inquired happily and continued. "The Marsh House! Lee, he hasn't moved her!"

"Yet." Kenny stated.

"Kenny's right. We need to move quickly." Jeremie said in one breath. Jeremie has never been Closter phobic, but he felt antsy being in the attic. He wanted to get to Clementine before the mysterious man took her to a different location.

"Hold on, we're going to need to be thinking more important things than just Clementine, when it comes to our…urgencies." Kenny said.

"What do you mean?" William asked.

"How do we get out of here?" Kenny asked in response to William's question.

"That's the whole point; we don't know." Odd said. "If there was a way out, you wouldn't have seen me talking to a bust."

"Okay, now you're life depends on it. How do you get out of here?" Kenny asked as he stared over to Lee and Aelita.

"Hold on Kenny. Where are you going with this?" Jeremie asked frightened by the direction the conversation was going.

"Yeah, where are you going with this?" Lee asked with a glare.

"Do you think that worked?" Kenny asked as he pointed to Lee's amputated arm.

"I…I don't know. I hope so." Lee replied.

"And what about you?" Kenny asked Aelita. "You're covered in Lee's blood."

"I…I didn't get any in my eyes or mouth." Aelita said panicking.

"I think we need to have an 'adult' conversation if either Lee or Aelita take a spill for the worse. We could have a double-dose of the Larry situation on our hands." Kenny said.

Carley didn't like where the conversation was going but suspicion got the better of her and she went up to Aelita and put her hand on Aelita's forehead. "Kenny, she's not warm or cold. Just stop."

"I think it would be best if we concentrated on getting to Clem right now." Lee stated.

"We're not going to do her any good, if you and Aelita attacked us." Kenny shot back.

"That's not going to happen. Just calm down!" Jeremie said with a scowl.

"How do you know that?" Kenny asked.

"Look we'll cross this bridge when we get to it." Carley said. "But I'll be damned if I let you hurt my girl or Lee."

"Look, I'm not trying to advocate anything here…" Kenny said. "But, how is this not a thing? We're so worked up over Clementine that we're forgetting what happened to Lee and what Aelita had to do to keep him alive."

"My arm is not the issue. I'm not the problem." Lee said angrily. "F***! You can't do this to me! And you leave Aelita alone."

"We're gonna have to do something. You're going to listen to me now! We will get Clementine back, with or without you and Aelita!" Kenny shot back.

"You're not hurting her!" Carley exclaimed as she put herself between Kenny and Aelita. Aelita gripped onto Carley's coat out of fear of Kenny.

"You're not going to lay a finger on me or Aelita. You know what to do if I turn. So that's the end of that." Lee said darkly.

Kenny's eyes widened from anger and he exclaimed, "You're going to become one of them! Is that what you want?" Kenny quickly grabbed the bust off the table. Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, and William looked on in horror as Kenny held the bust strike at either Lee or Carley. The two adults also looked on in horror as Kenny was about to strike, but the rage-filled eyes of Kenny turned from Lee and Carley and to the wall behind him. He, then, threw the bust at the wall out of frustration. It shattered as it took out a section of the wall. Kenny huffed angrily and silence fell among the group. Carley allowed Aelita to come out, but Aelita was still shaking and wanted to keep her distance from Kenny. Carley held Aelita by her shoulders and kept her from moving. The gurgled groans and moans of the walkers downstairs echoed throughout the attic and the tension within the group was thick.

The silence finally was broken when Odd said, "You ruined that dude's face."

"Hush Odd." Jeremie corrected him, "Look." Jeremie indicated to the wall that Kenny threw the bust at.

William approached the wall and examined it for a couple of seconds until he broke off a piece. "It's corroded to hell." William observed. He then got up and joined the group.

"What's on the other side of that wall, another drop?" Carley asked.

"No, the mansion next door butts up next to this one." Jeremie said.

Suddenly there was a loud crash. The group looked over to Lee as he put the coat rack down and said, "This wall ain't shit."

"Is this actually possible?" Odd asked.

"I guess so." Kenny remarked. "We'll work in shifts. Me, Odd, Yumi, Jeremie, and Carley. Lee, William, and Aelita, you three rest." They all nodded and went toward an old couch and chair.

Lee stayed behind as Kenny started to smash the wall and said, "Hey man, I'm sorry about earlier."

"Me too, pal." Kenny replied as he stopped for a second from hitting the wall. He smiled at Lee for a second but went back to destroying the wall. Lee approached the group as Carley and Aelita sat closely to each other on the couch. William sat next to Aelita with Yumi on the ground next to him. Odd sat on the floor next to the chair which was being offered to Lee, and Jeremie was next to Odd.

Lee accepted the chair and sat down. "I'm glad you told us when you got bitten, it would have been easy not to. I don't think William and I would have went with you." Yumi said solemnly. "William's still not at one hundred percent."

"Yumi, I'm fine." William argued.

"You have a busted up knee, William." Aelita remarked.

William shook his head and sighed. "Look, I know it's not pretty, but I'm okay. I'm walking normally." William then looked at Lee sympathetically and said, "Heck, if anything, I would have been scared shitless, if I was you, Lee."

Lee smirked and said, "If you were me, you would be a foot taller."

"Hey." William whined.

"And about seventy pounds heavier; you, uh, wouldn't get scared as much." Lee continued.

"With your arm and my leg, I'll cripple fight you right here buddy." William replied as everyone else smiled and chuckled.

"Oh, I still got this one." Lee said as he indicated to his right arm. "I can put my right palm on your forehead and just let you swing away."

"Hah fine… you win jerk." William chuckled.

"It's so weird; I keep doing a double-take on your arm, expecting it to be there." Carley said.

"I'm hoping that whatever's in that bite is gone too." Lee said solemnly.

"What do you think the odds are of that?" Yumi asked.

"I don't know. I know everyone's wondering. Even if it just slows down the process, I'd be happy." Lee said solemnly.

"You don't mean that." Jeremie said sadly.

"So when we get this guy… what do you think?" William asked with a slight glare.

"We make sure that he never hurts anyone ever again." Lee responded.

"My thoughts exactly." Jeremie said. "If we don't stop him this time, what will hinder him from doing the same thing again?"

"Lee… you know? Whatever happens to you…?" Aelita trailed. She could barely comprehend the fact that Lee was going to die.

"Seriously, can we not talk like that?" Carley scolded Aelita.

"No, Carley, she's right. We can't just assume that I'm going to make it." Lee defended Aelita.

"What good is it to give up?" Carley asked.

"I haven't given up. I'm still here." Lee stated. The group remained silent with the exception of Kenny smashing up the wall with a coat rack until Lee spoke up, "Carley I want you to look after her."

"Shut up, we're not doing this." Carley said tearfully.

"Mom, listen to him." Aelita said.

"It's what I want, okay?" Lee asked. "Aelita, I want you to be there for Clementine, like a sister, okay?"

"You got it." Aelita said nodding her head as she put an arm on Carley's shoulder comfortingly.

Kenny stopped banging the wall and approached the group. "Alright, I'm out of gas." Kenny then glanced at Jeremie and asked, "How about you have a whack at it?"

Jeremie nodded and said, "I'm on it." He then headed over to the wall and picked up the coat rack and started to smash the wall to bits.

William got up and stood next to Odd to allow Kenny to sit down. Kenny took his seat and huffed as he received a glare from Carley as she gripped onto Aelita by her shoulder. Kenny noticed and said, "Carley… I'm sorry about earlier. I'm just on edge."

Carley softened her gaze and said, "I guess I can't blame you; we're all on edge. Just don't do anything rash, like hurting Lee or my girl." Carley then noticed that Kenny seemed to be under a lot of stress, "How are you feeling?"

"I… don't know how to answer that." Kenny said while he put his forehead in his palm.

"You've lost the most out of all of us." Carley said sympathetically.

"It'll be alright, Ken." Lee said comfortingly to his friend.

Kenny looked up to everyone and said, "Why are you all acting like what's happened ain't happened?" The group didn't respond so Kenny continued, "Anyway I appreciate it, from both of you. A lot of us have lost families."

"We've all lost family." Yumi stated sadly, leaving the mood depressing.

Odd sighed and said, "Okay, I'm going to go into a coma if anyone needs me." He received a few chuckles.

Kenny then reached over the arm rest and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He shook it and smiled, "Still full." He remarked. He opened it and took several gulps of it. He then whistled, "That's better."

"You really think getting drunk is going to help?" Odd asked.

Kenny shrugged and handed the bottle to Lee. Lee smiled and drank some. He then handed the bottle back to Kenny.

Kenny then offered Carley a drink. She hesitated for a moment but then grabbed the bottle and chugged it down. They all looked at her as she finished. She handed the bottle back to Kenny and said, "I've got a lot on my mind, I guess." Aelita put her arm on Carley's shoulder again in an attempt to comfort her, but unlike last time, it didn't work.

"I'm through." Jeremie exclaimed. He laid the coat rack down and breathed heavily as he looked through the hole. "No walkers. Things are finally looking up." Jeremie said happily. He then entered into the adjacent building, followed by Aelita, Carley, Yumi, Odd, William, Kenny, and finally Lee.

The group entered a room that seemed well-decorated despite the cobwebs and layer of dust. "Everyone, keep an eye out." Kenny said as he examined a drawer. Lee stared at a table with an old paper but then everyone could hear Aelita gasp.

"Oh my word!" Aelita exclaimed as she looked at the bed. Everyone gathered around to see a decaying couple that must have committed suicide. The pillows were drenched in blood and the man held onto a Glock 17 handgun. Aelita's shock went into sadness until she could feel someone squeezing her hand comfortingly. It was Jeremie.

Everyone looked at the couple sadly until Lee spoke up, "How could they have done this?" The very thought of giving up was unacceptable to the group.

"It's what Katjaa did." Kenny said sadly, tears started to stream from his eyes and the group looked over.

"It's alright, Ken." Lee said trying in vain to comfort his friend.

"No, Lee, she left me." Kenny said. "The people I cared about… you don't just quit because it's hard; you stick it out for the people you love." Kenny glared with intensity and continued, "So, let's go get that little girl."

"Yeah, we should move." Jeremie added.

Kenny went up to the bodies and picked up the handgun and unloaded the magazine. "Got at least one shot left." Kenny then loaded the magazine back into its locked position.

"Let's clear the room before we move on." Carley said as she went through one of the drawers. "Lee, you figure out where were going."

Lee nodded and headed toward the balcony door as everyone started to shut drawers and check other drawers.

"There's nothing in here but personal items." William said.

Lee nodded and opened the door to the balcony. Across the balcony was the roof of a nearby house which was a couple inches higher than the balcony and had a gap of about two feet.

"We could probably stay off the streets all the way to River Street, if we're careful." Kenny remarked.

"Let's go." Odd said.

Lee was the first to climb the balcony and try to balance himself, a feat which would be challenging if he wasn't dying. Lee tried to maintain his balance and jumped up to the edge of the roof. He grunted as he dragged himself up onto the roof. Carley breathed in and out slowly as she was next to go up onto the roof. She was followed by Aelita, Jeremie, Yumi, Odd, and then William. They were all short since they were in their early- to mid-teen years, so Carley had to extend her arm and would catch them. Kenny was the last to climb up the balcony and jumped off; as he did so, a couple of the nail that hooked down the balcony broke off and the balcony tilted.

Kenny grunted as he got up and Jeremie remarked, "Close call, Kenny."

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked. Jeremie merely pointed the tilted balcony and Kenny's face showed immense shock.

"Let's keep going. We're going to need to be careful up here." Yumi said. Everyone nodded in agreement and they headed off toward River Street.

Kenny approached Lee and said, "Hey pal, thanks for helping me back at Crawford."

"What do you mean?" Lee asked.

"That shitbird Ben. He may have been an asshole but I know if I killed that kid, I would have regretted it." Kenny said happily. "So thanks for everything."

Lee smiled back and said, "That's what friends are there for." Kenny returned the smile and the group continued to use the rooftops to get to River Street. They used wooden planks that were found on the roof along with anything else to prevent them from having to use the ground.

**Two Hours Later**

The group slowly crossed a wooden plank with Carley going first, followed by Aelita, Jeremie, Odd, William, Yumi, Lee and finally Kenny.

Carley walked towards an opening in the roof and looked down to see an empty floor. She held out her arm to stop the group. They surrounded the opening as Carley asked, "Do you think that there are some walkers underneath us?"

Lee approached the opening and stood next to Carley and said, "I don't doubt it."

"Come on, you bunch of lollygaggers." Kenny said as he went up to Lee and bumped him. Lee stumbled for a second but regained his balance to the expense of dropping the walkie-talkie into the building. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as Kenny said, "Ah, f***."

"We got to get that back. That's our lifeline to Clementine." Lee said.

"We'll have to move on without it." Kenny said sadly. "I'm sorry, pal, but I don't think we can reach it from here. And it's not worth any of our lives to get to it."

"What if the freak that has Clementine decides to move her? How will we contact her?" Jeremie asked. "Any clue, even the smallest one can prove invaluable."

"Let's think this through." Kenny stated trying to reason with the group.

"Einstein already did." Odd stated bluntly and he went down the opening.

"Odd!" Carley, Aelita, William, and Yumi exclaimed in unison.

Odd picked up the walkie-talkie and grinned and said, "I got it! Now how do I get out of here?"

"For crying out loud!" William exclaimed. "Odd, you idiot, you never think things through."

"I don't usually have to." Odd replied referencing his days in Lyoko where Jeremie could help him out strategically. Kenny got down and tried to reach Odd but was unsuccessful.

"F***! I can't reach him." Kenny said and he got up to address Lee. "Find something, fast."

Lee looked around the roof trying find something. Meanwhile, Odd kept trying to grab onto Kenny's hand without much success. Finally, Lee found a rebar and took it to the opening.

"Quick, grab onto this and we'll pull you up." Lee said as he extended the rebar down towards Odd. Odd grabbed onto it and with William and Kenny helping him, Lee started to bring Odd up. However, Odd lost his grip and fell with a yelp. He hit the ground and moaned.

Suddenly, gurgled growls and moans could be heard all around him. "Uh…guys." Odd said panicking and he got up.

"Shit, I hear them too!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Lee, William, get him out of there, quickly." Jeremie exclaimed.

Lee and William extended their arms but with Odd's height, it was pointless. After a couple of seconds watching Odd try to reach Lee and William, Kenny grumbled, "Me and my f****** mouth." Kenny then descended to where Odd was and picked the boy up onto his shoulders. "Come on Lee! Grab him!" Kenny exclaimed. Lee was finally able to grab Odd's hand and pulled him up.

"Kenny what are you doing, man?" Lee exclaimed while everyone else checked on Odd.

"Go Lee! Get Clementine back!" Kenny exclaimed as he fired at a nearby walker. Other walkers started to gang up on him.

"Kenny! Kenny!" Lee shouted but the herd of walkers were all that they could see now. "Kenny, you got to run man, go! We'll find a way to get to you!"

The group looked on in horror as several walkers covered up the opening on the roof. "Get the f*** off me!" Kenny spat and another shot could be heard.

"No!" Lee exclaimed.

"Just go… I'll be…" Kenny struggled to say as he tried to defend himself. The group looked down into the walker infested opening as the sounds of Kenny's struggling died out and only the gurgled groans of walkers could be heard.

Lee went to the side and cursed, "Dammit Kenny! Why!" Carley went up to him and hugged him comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Lee. I know he was a good friend to you." Carley said as she rubbed his back. They stayed together for a couple of seconds, while the Lyoko Warriors hung their heads sadly in respect of Kenny. Jeremie held Aelita's hand comfortingly and the two stared at each other. Finally, Aelita wrapped her arms around Jeremie and Jeremie returned the hug

Jeremie and Aelita gently rocked each other and enjoyed the comforting embrace until Lee spoke up, "I know not a lot of people liked Ken, but he and I were good friends. I guess that made us both assholes."

Jeremie lets go of Aelita and said, "You aren't an asshole, and neither was Kenny, you were both trying to look out for each other and your families."

"Jeremie's right." Yumi said. "Kenny may have not gotten along with us often but I know he was a good man."

"Come on, let's not let Kenny's sacrifice be in vain." Carley said as she nodded towards the Marsh House. "We're almost there."

Lee smiled and the group moved towards a rusted sign that ran from the building they were on to the building that was on a different block, below were hundreds of walkers walking aimlessly. "Well at least it doesn't look like a death trap." Odd said.

A gust of wind blew by and the sign creaked and moaned. Yumi glared at him and said, "You were saying?"

"I stand corrected." Odd said with a nervous smile.

"So, who wants to go first?" William asked anxiously.

"I'll go first." Lee said. "If it can handle my weight, then more than likely it can handle yours." Lee spoke to the group.

"Just be careful." Carley said as Lee took a hold of the sign and started to shuffle across it.

It creaked loudly which surprisingly didn't attract the walkers down below. Lee was almost to the other side when suddenly the sign broke apart. "Lee!" The group yelled. Lee was on the edge of a portion that somehow didn't fall to the ground. However, his grip was slipping with his good arm. Lee performed a very risky maneuver but was able to restore his balance back onto the sign.

"Lee, hang on, we're going to get over there to you!" Aelita yelled.

Lee hesitated as he weighed his options and said, "It's no use; I'm going for it."

"Wait, what does that even mean?" Yumi asked.

"It means that I'm already bit and it doesn't matter if I get bitten again." Lee replied. "I want you guys to go to the train, we'll regroup there."

Carley wanted to argue but she knew that persuading Lee would be useless so she yelled back, "Okay, we'll meet you there."

Lee nodded and said, "Stay safe." He lets go of the section of the sign and dropped down below into the street and headed for the Marsh House.

The rest of the group stayed on the roof top. Carley was the first to speak, "I don't know if Lee is going to make it through that herd."

"Without help, he won't." Jeremie said anxiously, and he and Aelita ran for the edge of the sign.

"What! No, stop!" Carley yelled and ran after the two.

The two gripped onto the sign and slid down from the rest of the group. Jeremie looked up and said, "We'll meet you at the train."

"No. Jeremie and Aelita get back up here." Carley said angrily.

"We have to do this." Jeremie replied. "You know that."

"Lee is going to need help, especially since his strength is failing." Aelita added.

Defeated, Carley sighed and mumbled, "Okay, please, be careful."

The two headed down the street with Jeremie holding his pocket knife at the ready. Meanwhile, Aelita noticed an immobile walker. She ran to it and grabbed a katana sword from its chest and stabbed the undead creature to put it out of its misery. The two went back to back and started to kill several walkers. Their outfits started to get drenched in blood but they continued. Eventually, they caught up to Lee and the three carved out their way to the Marsh House.

Aelita expertly sliced walkers with the katana, Lee hacked walkers to bits with his cleaver, and Jeremie stabbed walkers with his pocket knife.

Finally, there was only one walker in their way. Aelita gritted her teeth with adrenaline pumping through her, she made one vicious and violent cut that slice the walker in half vertically. The three huffed as they reached the Marsh House but Lee noticed something and opened his mouth, "What is it?" Jeremie whispered.

"That Volkswagen." Lee remarked and pointed to said object. "That looks like the same one that we robbed." Lee looked around and continued, "Come on, we shouldn't be out here." The two teens nodded and they went into the Marsh House.

After looking into several rooms, Lee went up to one door and peered through the lock. The room looked like the others, a uniform blue wallpaper, a nice table, sofa, and a chair. But what caught Lee's eye was a white chord that ran from the closet door to a bedroom door. Lee opened the door and went inside; the teens followed and the three looked at the white chord.

Jeremie looked at Aelita and nodded. Aelita nodded back and rose her sword but was stopped when she felt cold metal against her temple and a chilling voice whispered, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Aelita shook in fear and lowered her katana. A man wearing a dark yellow jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of shoes kept a gun to Aelita's head and looked at Lee and Jeremie. The man's features were slim but they screamed insanity. "Your things… over there." The Stranger said as he pointed to the table.

"Hey, let me out." A young girl's voice could be heard from within the bedroom. Jeremie's and Lee's eyes widened as they figured out the voice belonged to Clementine. "Who's out there?"

Lee was about to speak until the stranger shushed him and whispered, "If you say who you are, then she will die." The Stranger indicated to Aelita who quivered from the gun being pointed at her. Jeremie and Lee accepted defeat and neither spoke. The Stranger focused on the door that Clementine was behind and said, "Quiet, please, Sweetie." He then looked to Jeremie and Lee and said, "Your things… over there." He indicated to the table again.

"Just be cool, man." Lee said as he and Jeremie threw their contents on the table.

"Do I not seem cool?" The Stranger inquired as he saw them dump their supplies on the table. "Go sit down." The stranger said as he pointed to the sofa. The Stranger took Aelita's backpack off of her and threw it on the table; he, then, grabbed the katana from her and threw it on the table, as well. Lee and Jeremie sat on the sofa and the Stranger sat down on the chair. The Stranger then dragged Aelita onto his lap. She stiffened from awkwardness as Jeremie glared at the Stranger. "Do you know who I am?" The Stranger inquired as he kept his gun at Aelita's head.

"Yes." Lee said, "I saw your Volkswagen outside."

"Did you see anything else out there that you wanted to take?" The Stranger inquired. "There's not much left. You and your group took almost everything." The Stranger sighed and asked, "Have you ever hurt somebody you cared about?"

"Yes." Lee replied. "My wife, she travelled a lot; I didn't like that. All I ever wanted was a family, but she never wanted to have kids. That should have been my first clue that something wasn't working."

"A reasonable thing to want." The Stranger said somewhat admirably.

The Stranger then stared down sadly and said, "I hurt her so badly. I took our son Adam into the woods to go hunting, even against my wife's wishes, but then I couldn't find him. I came back and the look she had said that I was a monster. We went looking for him but we couldn't find him, then we went back to our vehicle. I could have gotten her trust back Lee, but not after what you and your people did."

"It's not entirely Lee's fault." Jeremie said. "I didn't object from them taking that stuff."

The Stranger ignored Jeremie and continued, "The hungrier we got, the more she blamed me. Until finally, she took our daughter, Elizabeth, and left. They didn't get far. I found them a day later, in the road." The Stranger paused to get his bearings and continued, "Do I look like a monster to you?"

"We all are." Lee said.

"Some more than others." The Stranger said. "You walked her into a dairy full of sick people."

"If I knew what they were, I would have never let Clementine go near them." Lee responded.

"You let a man get eaten alive to save a pretty face." The Stranger shot back.

"There's no way I could have saved both of them." Lee responded.

"You abandoned a defenseless, grieving woman." The Stranger scolded Lee.

"She deserved it." Aelita snapped at the Stranger. "She killed my brother."

"The sweater that your girl is wearing was my boy's!" The man bellowed.

"We were cold and hungry." Lee said.

"So my family was left out in the cold and starved!" The Stranger bellowed again.

The Stranger paused to calm down. Lee, then, said, "Listen, I'm sorry. If I would have known, I would have never taken that stuff."

"That should mean something to me." The Stranger said. "But it doesn't. I'm not a man of vengeance but vengeance is all I have left."

Lee then asked, "How do you know about all of this?"

In response the stranger pulled out a walkie-talkie. "You're a monster and a murder and I'm going to hurt you so bad."

Lee noticed how uncomfortable Aelita was in the Stranger's lap and he asked, "Can you give us Aelita back?"

"I don't think so." The Stranger said. He then turned to Jeremie and said, "I'm sorry but you and your girlfriend weren't supposed to follow him." The Stranger indicated to Lee and continued, "This is going to have to end in all three of you dying."

Jeremie huffed unimpressed by the Stranger and said, "Then you are no better than any psychopath out there." The Stranger's face warped into anger and Jeremie continued, "You criticize Lee for all of his decisions but you couldn't have done better than him."

"That's exactly what I would have done!" The Stranger yelled.

"Then prove it." Jeremie yelled angrily.

The Stranger appeared to be surprised by the boy's courage, but went back to glancing at Lee and said, "Lee listen to me, before what happens next, I need you to know that she will be in good hands. I bet you don't even know how old she is."

"She's eight." Lee replied.

"Wrong." The Stranger said shocking Lee. "She's nine; her birthday was six days ago."

"The day my brother died." Aelita said sadly.

"That's right." The Stranger said and he turned to Lee and continued, "I know how to be a dad. She wouldn't go through the same crap that you put her through. She and I can have a family."

"You're going to have to kill me first." Lee said threateningly.

"No." The Stranger said as he shook his head. From the corner of Lee's eye, he could see the white chord snap off, and Clementine came out of the bedroom. Jeremie eyed a beer bottle and Clementine quietly went to retrieve it "I'm going to make sure that I put you through the same world that I go through every day." Clementine grabbed the bottle and slowly walked toward the Stranger as he continued, "The people I cared about died because of you; so now, I'm going to kill this girl." The Stranger indicated Aelita. "And then the boy will die." The Stranger indicated to Jeremie.

"You're mad." Lee said darkly. "You are no better than those things that are roaming around out there."

"Shut the f*** up!" The Stranger bellowed. "How dare you criticize m- Ow!" From behind the Stranger, Clementine used the empty beer bottle and hits him with it. The Stranger gripped his head in pain which gave Aelita the chance she needed to get away from him. Lee rushed at the Stranger but he noticed Lee's attack and used his foot to keep Lee away.

The chair that the Stranger was in leaned back and both men fell and the Stranger's gun landed on the other side of the room. The Stranger immediately got up but was then attacked by Jeremie. Jeremie was able to land a couple of blows to the Stranger's stomach but the Stranger got the upper hand and kicked Jeremie into Aelita. The Stranger then ran to his gun not knowing that Lee was back on his feet until Lee slammed the Stranger into the wall. Lee struggled to choke the man, both were huffing and grunting. However, Lee's strength failed him and his grip loosened. The Stranger punched Lee to the ground and began strangling him.

"I hate you!" The Stranger said angrily. "You son of a bitch, just die!" However, a gunshot rang out and killed the Stranger. The Stranger slumped down and his grip on Lee loosened; Lee pushed him off and looked over and noticed that it was Jeremie who fired the shot. Jeremie lowered the gun and sighed.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: Okay, sorry if the next chapter is going to be confusing but I'm going to combine the season 1 finale with the grid of who's alive, dead, and etc. from the Lyoko Warrior's POV. In other words, no Shawn, Chet, Bud, Glenn, or one of my favorite characters, Doug. **


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry guys; I decided to not create a grid of who is alive, dead, and etc. so if you wanted to see it, sorry about you luck. Also, sorry for how short this chapter is.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

The tension in the room was heavy and almost suffocating, even with the Stranger dead on the floor. Aelita noticed how angry Jeremie was and she held his hand comfortingly. Jeremie jumped at first but then calmed down and sent an appreciative smile to Aelita.

Lee got off the ground as Clementine ran to him. They hugged each other and enjoyed each other's embrace. "I'm sorry." Clementine apologized. "I'm so sorry."

Lee shushed her and held her tighter while saying, "It's okay honey." Clementine lets go of Lee and cringed at the sight of him. In all respect, Lee didn't look good. His left forearm was gone and he was covered in walker blood and reeked in walker guts.

Your arm is gone, why?" Clementine said. "That's so scary."

"I got into a bit of an accident." Lee replied calmly.

Clementine crinkled her nose and said, "You don't smell good."

"I don't think any of us do." Jeremie chuckled as he looked down at his walker-blood-stained jeans, jacket, and sweater. Aelita looked down her dress to see walker blood had replaced Lee's blood.

"Did he hurt you?" Lee asked Clementine.

"No, not really." Clementine replied tearfully. "I'm really sorry, Lee."

"It's okay honey. You couldn't have known." Lee said as he put a supportive hand on her shoulder. Clementine smiled back with quite an adorable look. Her eyes were puffy and her checks were rosy from crying.

"It's hard to believe people like that guy exist now." Jeremie stated as he motioned toward the Stranger.

"They've always existed, Jeremie. Only difference now is that there are more of them." Aelita said sadly as she remembered the last time she saw her biological mother.

Lee started to get up and said, "Clementine, we need to get you somewhere safe and then we need to talk, okay?" Lee said as he started to droop. Lee shook his head to stay focus and continued, "We need to figure out how to get out of Savannah as fast as we can." Lee then looked over to Jeremie and asked, "How many bullets do you have left?"

Jeremie unloaded the magazine and sighed disgruntledly. "One bullet."

"Not nearly enough." Aelita said as she went over and grabbed the supplies off of the table. She threw Jeremie's backpack to the boy as she slipped hers on. She then picked up her katana.

"I thought Ulrich was the master swordsman of your group." Lee said.

"He and I are actually on par with each other." Aelita replied.

"Let's get out of here." Jeremie said as he reached the door. "You ready?" The three nodded and he opened the door. However, a walker awaited on the other side of the door for him. The walker sniffed Jeremie as he stood stiffened from fright of the walker. The walker seemed to ignore him and looked over to Clementine and growled. Jeremie took out his knife and stabbed into the walker's thigh while he jumped to the side to avoid the walker from biting him. It fell down with a growl and Jeremie shot it. The gun clicked back indicating that it was empty.

"It didn't bite you." Clementine observed.

"Yeah it didn't." Jeremie said as he discarded the gun.

"You're covered in that gross stuff." Clementine said indicating the walker blood and guts.

"We had to go through a lot of them to get to here." Aelita said. "I think this is how they distinguish themselves from a human being."

"And that's how we're going to get out of the city." Lee said as he approached the walker with his cleaver.

Jeremie backed away as Lee started to slice the walker open. He gestured Clem to come over. She did as he asked and he started to cover her in the walker's entrails. Clementine whined and cried from disgust as Lee covered her.

"This is so gross." Clementine whined.

"Alright, I'm going to need to do your back too." Lee said.

Clementine cringed but she turned around anyway. Lee wiped the guts over Clementine's back and she started to whine and cry again.

"We'll get you a bath soon after this." Lee said.

"Not soon enough." Clementine replied. "Are you done?"

"Just a little more." Lee said. "I want to be sure." He then slathered more of the walker's guts on Clementine. Lee got up and said, "There, that should do it."

"I hope so." Clementine said.

"And you're missing something." Lee said as he pulled out Clementine's hat. He smiled to see her face brighten and a smile to appear on it.

Clementine's eyes widened and she said, "I thought it was gone." Clementine then put the hat back on her head happily.

"I thought you were gone." Lee said happily.

"Thank you." Clementine replied. With that the group made their way out and down the hall. Jeremie and Aelita took the lead, and they held each other's hands and smiled. Aelita kept her katana out in case the plan didn't work. Meanwhile, Lee looked down to Clementine and said, "Stay close." Clementine nodded in response and the four headed outside.

They all looked shock to see the streets were cluttered in walkers, almost to where you couldn't walk. Nonetheless, they carefully maneuvered their way through the herd. At some point, Clementine stopped and Lee looked back in horror to see what the girl was staring at. It was Ed and Diana, Clementine's parents. They were both walkers. Jeremie noticed that they had stopped and took a hold of Aelita's arm. Aelita stopped and looked at him perplexed until she followed his line of vision.

Clementine whimpered silently at the sight of her parents as Lee succumbed to unconsciousness. "Clem, don't-" Lee couldn't finish his sentence as he collapsed to the ground. Clementine turned around and gasped as Aelita and Jeremie ran over to Lee.

Jeremie checked Lee's pulse and Aelita looked at the boy. "He's got a pulse, but it's weak." Jeremie whispered. "Help me move him."

Aelita nodded and dropped her katana. The two dragged Lee into a jewelry store and shut the industrial garage door to the store. Clementine was on top of Lee trying to give him CPR as Jeremie and Aelita finished shutting the door. She begged, "Lee, Lee wake up. Please don't be dead. Please no."

Jeremie and Aelita ran over to see Lee weakly opening his eyes. Clementine looked at Lee and cried, "Lee… I was so scared. I thought you left us. I…I…I saw my parents."

Jeremie and Aelita's eyes widened. "Come here, honey." Lee said comfortingly.

The two hugged as Clementine said, "They're gone. They really are gone."

Tears rushed to Aelita's eyes and she hugged Jeremie as she silently cried. She dreaded the world that she and her brother lived in and now Clementine was in that world. "We… we need to get out of here." Lee said as Jeremie rocked Aelita.

"I didn't have a choice, Lee." Jeremie said sadly. "I had to lock us in." Aelita separated from Jeremie so Jeremie could address Lee.

"Get that door open." Lee demanded.

"It won't budge." Jeremie exclaimed.

"Do it!" Lee shot back. Jeremie looked down sadly, and he and Lee took up a handle and try to pry it open. They grunted after several minutes until Lee lets go of the handle and starts to breathe heavily.

"Lee, are you okay?" Clementine asked.

"Lee, you're going to have to tell her." Aelita said sadly.

Clementine looked at Aelita perplexedly until Lee got her attention, "Clementine, honey." Clementine turned around to face Lee and he continued, "The reason why I cut my arm off was because I was bitten."

Clementine was shocked by the new information and she quickly went into denial, "No, no, no, no! That's not true!" Clementine exclaimed.

"I'm sorry honey." Lee said weakly. "I was supposed to protect you but I won't be able to anymore."

"We still need to get out of here." Jeremie said sadly. He looked to an office and said, "There might be a back exit in the office."

"Yeah… I need you two to get Clementine out of here as fast as possible." Lee said as he struggled to get up. The color in his face was noticeably getting grayer, and he used the display cases to get to the back of the store. Jeremie stayed on his left side awaiting to help Lee if he fell. Lee reached the end of the display cases and sat down next to a heater.

"Lee, you got to get up." Clementine said sadly.

Lee mustered up all of his strength but it proved to be no use. He slumped back and huffed. "Clem, I can't move. This is it for me."

Clementine cried, "No please, try again."

"He can't Clem. He used all of his strength to get you back." Aelita said as she got down to the young girl's eye level. Clementine looked down sadly and Aelita looked sympathetically at the girl.

Lee looked at the two teens and said, "Can you two find a way out of here and get Clem to safety?"

"You got it." Jeremie said as he looked around. Aelita and Clementine also looked around until Aelita went towards the front desk. She grabbed a baseball bat and went back to Jeremie and Clem. "Stand back." Aelita said as she raised the bat. Jeremie and Clementine backed away; Jeremie used his body to protect Clementine as Aelita broke the window of the office.

Clementine, then, grabbed onto a nearby chair and used it to unlock the door. She got off and kicked the chair to the side as Jeremie opened the door to a walker in a policeman's uniform. It growled and snarled at the three while being stuck in a jewelry case, "It's stuck." Clementine stated.

"Good. This will be easy then." Lee said. He then noticed the handcuffs on the ground and said, "Jeremie, get those handcuffs." Jeremie did as Lee asked and Lee continued, "Now put them on me."

"I don't want to do that, Lee." Jeremie said tearfully.

"I know, but I want you, Aelita, and Clementine to be safe. This will make it so that no matter what, you will be safe." Lee replied. Jeremie nodded and put the cuffs on Lee and the heater.

"Which should I grab first?" Clementine asked indicating to the walker's gun or keys.

"The gun, Clem. Always grab the gun, first." Lee said. Clementine nodded and hesitantly went for the gun. Aelita and Jeremie watched on ready if anything happened.

After much thrashing and growling the walker came free and pounced on Clementine. Clementine screamed and struggled with the creature but not for long. Jeremie rushed at it and stabbed the undead creature in the head. He left his pocket knife in the creature's skull as he grabbed the keys and gun. Aelita went over to Clementine and helped the girl up. "Are you okay?" Aelita asked.

Clementine nodded and Jeremie gave Clementine the gun. "You're going to need that more than Aelita and me." Clementine took the gun and the three looked over to Lee.

Lee huffed and said, "Clem, the others are probably at the train. You are going to go into the countryside. Promise me that you'll try to live safe."

"I promise, Lee." Clementine said.

Lee smiled and looked to Jeremie and Aelita and said, "If it's just you two, please, look after my girl."

"We will." Jeremie and Aelita said in unison.

"And Clementine, one more thing…" Lee huffed.

"What? What is it?" Clementine asked.

"No, don't worry… alright." Lee said distantly. He then shook his head to regain focus and said, "I'll miss you."

"Me too." Clementine said tearfully. She got up and Aelita put her hand on Clem's shoulder.

Jeremie approached Lee and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Leave me and get Clem out of here." Lee said.

"But if I do that, you'll turn." Jeremie said.

"You can't waste a bullet. I won't be able to hurt anyone, especially in this city. Now go!" Lee huffed.

Jeremie looked down sadly and nodded. He and Aelita went to the door as Lee's vision became blurry. They opened the door and left the store with Clementine. The three cried silently and they advanced through the streets of Savannah in the dark with thousands of walkers around them.

* * *

Two figures made their way through the tall grass. They almost appeared to be walkers but on closer examination the two teens and the child that the boy was carrying on his back were very much alive. Sadness and regret traced through their features as they neared a log with a rusted car nearby.

Jeremie broke the silence and said, "I need to rest."

"Yeah, I'll wake Clem up." Aelita said as she went behind Jeremie and waked the resting girl. "Clem, wake up." Aelita shook the girl awake. Clementine opened her eyes and yawned as Aelita continued, "We're going to rest up here."

Jeremie got in front of the log and lowered Clementine on it. Clementine looked to Jeremie appreciatively as Aelita went to examine the car. Jeremie went over and asked, "Anything in there?"

"I don't think; it looks like it was set on fire…" Aelita said. Clementine tuned out the two and looked at the shotgun shells on the ground. She examined them until something caught her eye. She looked up wide-eyed. In the distance, there were four figures. Three were medium sized and one was only slightly taller than the other figures. Clementine hesitated to yell to the figures and she stood their contemplating her choices.

Finally, the figures noticed her and headed down the hill. "J-J-Jeremie, Aelita." Clementine said frighteningly.

The two teens went over to her and Jeremie noticed the figures in the distance as they got closer.

"What do we do?" Aelita asked.

Jeremie raised his gun and said, "We stand our ground."

**A/N: Season 1 is over! I never thought it would end but… Anyway, thanks for all the support you guys gave throughout this fanfiction. I will play with two stories from the 400 Days DLC before Season 2. The two stories are Russell's and Tavia's. So, until then, later.**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Okay, here is how things will go for the 400 Days DLC stories. I decided to combine Russell's and Tavia's stories into one chapter. Plus there is a very shocking surprise at the beginning of Russell's story. You can whine about how much you hate me in the reviews. Anyway, try to enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own**_** The Walking Dead **_**or**_** Code Lyoko**_**.****All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

A walker walked aimlessly down the road with a sickening groan. Its undead ears did pick up some footsteps from behind and it turned its head to be face-to-face with a boy armed with a katana. The boy, sliced the creature in half and finished it by stabbing it in the skull.

"Ulrich, wait up." A young African-American man said. Ulrich turned around and saw his two friends trying to keep up. One was a young man named Russell who was helping another boy as he leaned against Russell's shoulder.

"How are you guys holding up?" Ulrich asked.

"I'm fine but I don't know about your friend though." Russell said.

Ulrich turned his attention to the boy and asked, "Monroe, are you going to be okay?"

Monroe breathed heavily as he tried to throw in a response. He was different now. His blue sweater was now replaced with a blue winter coat and gauze tape wrapped around his forehead replacing his light blond hair. "…I've had… better days." Monroe replied.

Ulrich nodded and the three continued. "Heck man, all things considered, you're lucky that shot only grazed you." Russell said.

"So how did you not get eaten back there near the edge of the road?" Ulrich asked.

"Remember that walker… I had on top of me… I put him there so… other walkers couldn't pick up my scent." Monroe huffed.

"That's clever." Russell commented. "You knew that would work?"

Monroe shook his head and said, "I guessed."

They continued to walk until Ulrich could hear a vehicle. He turned around to see a truck coming towards them in the distance. "Shit, shit, shit." He mumbled.

"What's up?" Russell asked.

"We got company." Ulrich replied. They did a quick second decision to hide and went on the ground and acted like corpses. Monroe groaned in pain as the two shushed him.

The truck came to a halt and the man inside said, "I see you three down there."

Russell and Ulrich mumbled curses under their breath and got up. Ulrich went to help Monroe, as Russell talked to the unknown man, "We don't want any trouble, please."

Russell now had a good look at the man. He was rugged, smelled like alcohol, and seemed a bit off on the psychological scale with his twitching eye and quivering lip. He looked confused and asked, "So, you just want to act like corpses because that can be a very dangerous game to play at." His voice sounded almost threatening.

But we weren't..." Russell said as he trailed off.

The man then asked, "What are your names?"

"I'm Russell." Russell responded. He then extended his hand to his friends and said, "That is Ulrich and Monroe."

He looked at Russell's backpack and said "So you didn't steal that backpack."

"What?" Russell asked confused by the accusation.

"Look I don't care who you stole from if you did, maybe you three are part of a bigger gang that likes to rob people. If so, you better not steal from me. I'll rip your throats out. I don't care who you run around with, understand?" The man said in a scolding tone.

"It's mine. I didn't steal it." Russell said calmly.

"Good, I hate thieves." The man said. He then looked over to Monroe and asked, "Is that one going to be okay? I've seen dead people look better than him."

"He'll live." Ulrich replied. "He got shot by a member in our group. Thankfully, the shot only grazed him."

The man was taken back a bit and offered, "Get in and I'll give you a ride. You three are going to get eaten out here and I'm bored."

"Can you take us to Statsborro?" Russell asked.

"We'll get somewhere eventually." The man said opening the passenger door. "Your friends can ride in the truck bed. I don't have enough room up here for all three of you"

Russell turned to Ulrich and asked, "You won't mind?"

Ulrich shook his head and said, "No, but be careful; there is something up with this guy."

Russell nodded and went into the truck as Ulrich opened the bed and got on. Ulrich then helped Monroe and the two laid down to relax. A couple of seconds later the truck started moving.

**A/N: You guys already know the conversation between Nate and Russell, so I'm going to skip that part and do a conversation between Ulrich and Monroe.**

They laid in the back of the truck for quite some time, both staring at the sky in complete silence. The silence was finally broken when Ulrich asked, "Do you think Yumi's still alive?"

Monroe looked at his friend and smiled, "I have no doubt. Yumi is one of the toughest people… that I've ever met."

Ulrich smiled to his friend's remark and said, "We'll find Jeremie and Aelita." However, Ulrich's response went on deaf ears as he received no response. He looked over to see Monroe was asleep. Ulrich snickered and said, "I guess I should get some sleep too."

* * *

Dusk turned into night and they stopped at a gas station to fuel up and get supplies. Ulrich woke up and stretched. He then nudged Monroe awake; Monroe got up and yawned. Suddenly the passenger side window shattered. They both heard the man, Nate, exclaim, "Whoa! Get out, now!" Nate exited to the driver's side of the truck and hunkered down.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and Monroe slid over the truck bed and Ulrich asked, "Is Russell alright?"

The answer came when they heard the passenger door opened and Russell ran to a nearby gas pump for cover. He succeeded but was now the target of interest for the aggressive sniper.

"Russell! You don't want to be there man! Come to my side of the truck and I'll cover you! Keep your head down and don't stop running!" Nate yelled.

"Ok, here I come!" Russell yelled back and started to make a run for it.

Nate then observed Russell as he ran. "I thought you were going to cover for him!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"Nah, this is more entertaining." Nate replied.

A gunshot went off and Ulrich sprang into action. He got up and pushed Nate out of the way while pulling out his 8 mm handgun. He then fired a couple of shots until he could hear a panting Russell behind him and Nate say, "Nice hustle."

"What happened to 'I'll cover you'?" Russell yelled.

"Look how good you did." Nate replied

"Okay, what do we do know?" Russell asked.

"We're going to beat this asshole." Nate replied angrily. "First things first, we're going to figure out where he is. Just take a quick glance."

"I already know where he is." Ulrich said getting all eyes on him. "When I was covering Russell, I saw shots being fired from Red's Diner."

"See? Easy, now that we know where he is, we can f- get him."

"Ok, we disarm him though, I don't want to hurt anyone." Russell responded.

"Seriously, he's shooting at us and you just want to let him live?" Nate said with a scowl. "I don't think so."

Monroe knew how the situation was and said, "You don't have a choice. Despite how capable you are… the only way you're going to out maneuver this guy is by having someone to watch your back."

Nate was surprised how the boy knew how to determine battlefield logistics and sighed. "Alright, fine." He said as he opened the door to reach in and put the truck in neutral and said, "Russell, let's push this truck for cover."

"Ok." Russell responded.

"It's in neutral just keep pushing and keep your head down." Nate said

Russell and Nate began to push the truck while Ulrich helped Monroe to stay in cover. Suddenly a bullet pierced the back tire on the passenger's side. "Shit!" Russell exclaimed.

"Keep pushing!" Nate said. They continued until another bullet shot the front tire of the truck, "Dammit, Come on push!" Nate grunted and they both tried to keep pushing the vehicle. They both gave up after one final push. Russell wheezed trying to catch his breath while Nate said, "End of the road!" Nate then closed the door to the truck to address his younger allies.

"What now?" Russell asked.

"We gotta move to the other side of the building going from cover to cover. Seriously this time, I'm not screwing around." Nate stated

"Yeah no problem." Russell said.

"Good, if we can get to that car, we will be out of the line of fire." Nate said pointing at red car that was twenty feet from where they were. He then handed his gun to Russell and asked, "Do you know how to shoot?"

"Better yet…" Monroe said getting everyone's attention. He adjusted his posture and brought out a colt python. "I'll keep our friend busy from here… and you three out-flank him."

"Are you sure?" Ulrich asked. "You're not at full strength and if a walker comes…"

"I'll be fine." Monroe argued. "Listen, I'm only going to get shot for how lethargic I am right now. I stay here and keep his attention, yes?" He received nods from the three and he said, "You move as soon as I start firing." He then peered from around the back bumper as the other three readied themselves from the front.

Monroe fired and Nate made a mad dash to the car. Monroe fired again and Russell ran for it. Another shot rang out Ulrich ran for the car. Monroe immediately took cover as he heard a shot from sniper. He heard the bullet hit the truck and got back up quickly and started to fire again. His gun clicked after one more shot and he slumped back behind the tire and wheezed.

A couple more gun shots hit the truck. Monroe smiled seeing that he was successful in keeping the sniper's attention from Ulrich, Russell, and Nate. He, then, laughed and coughed in between his laughs.

* * *

"Watch out for that." Nate commented towards a walker that had a police uniform on. Russell and Ulrich looked at the walker sadly. Nate noticed that Russell and Ulrich weren't with him and looked back. "What's the problem?"

"We should put it out of its misery." Russell said sadly.

"It's f****** dead. Come on." Nate replied sternly.

"I agree with him." Ulrich said as he pulled out his katana and plunged it into the walker's skull.

The two then heard Nate. "Feel like big boys now?" Nate asked sarcastically and started to walk away. "Let's go!"

Nate opened the door to the diner and looked in for a second and whispered, "Ok we're clear. Just keep your heads down and follow me, you got it?" Russell and Ulrich nodded in agreement and they went into the kitchen. "Ok, we're going to be quiet about this. We're going to sneak up on this son of a bitch and take him out. You hear me? Not a peep." Nate whispered and looked out of the kitchen door into the diner and said, "I see him. Check through the window and see if there's anybody else in there."

Russell went to the window of the kitchen and looked out briefly to see the silhouette of a man looking out the window with a sniper rifle in his arms. He went over to the door where Nate and Ulrich were and said, "I think I saw a guy." Russell whispered.

"No shit." Nate responded harshly. "Grab him! I'll cover you!" Nate whispered.

"Got it," Russell responded. He saw Nate position himself near the sniper so if Russell or Ulrich would mess up and the sniper would try to shoot them, Nate could stop him. Of course that doesn't happen. Russell successfully sneaks up on the guy and is able to overpower the sniper and disarm him. Russell looked up from the sniper rifle in his hands to see an elderly man who was stunned by his actions.

"Walt!" An elderly woman exclaimed. "Ow!" She whined. Russell noticed that she was shot in the shoulder which was why she whined in pain. Nate stood up to stand next to Russell and Ulrich joined in from behind sheathing his sword.

"Get the hell out of here you monster!" The elderly man, Walt, exclaimed.

"Whoa Gramps!" Nate said trying to peacefully calm the situation.

"I told you not to come back here! You think you can leave your mask at home?" Walt exclaimed and turned his attention at Russell and Ulrich, then back to Nate. "And now you're with these snot-nosed brats!"

"First off, watch the put-downs. These are my boys here." Nate said to Walt. "Secondly, I don't know you people. We were just passing by like anyone else."

"Bullshit! You came here to finish us off and take all our food!" Walt exclaimed.

"You've lost your damn marbles." Nate said.

"She's dying," Walt gestured to his wife and continued, "and now she can see your face! She can now know who took her from me!"

"Sir, we've never been here." Russell said trying to calm the situation.

Ulrich put a hand on Russell's shoulder and said, "I'm going to go check up on Monroe. Can you handle it from here?" Russell nodded and Ulrich left from the back of the diner.

"Then who shot my wife?" Walt asked.

"It wasn't us. My friends and I have never been here before." Russell said.

"You tried to kill us for no damn reason." Nate said angrily. "If anything, we should take you out for that."

"Please just get the hell out of here, please leave us alone!" Walt exclaimed.

"So what do you say, Russ? Should we kill these folks and take all their stuff?" Nate said as whirled his gun around. It was only now that Russell could see that Nate's features were laced with insanity. He looked on horrified as he felt that he was returning to the nightmare of Steve and his group but now with a different person.

Russell looked on shocked and asked, "Are you serious?"

"Maybe, why not?" Nate asked.

"That's messed up! There are real freaking monsters out there!" Russell exclaimed.

"Yeah, no dip." Nate shot back.

"And you're just going to joke about the shit I've seen. Screw you Nate." Russell snarled.

"I saved your ass!" Nate exclaimed. "And your two friends!"

"You didn't do shit!" Russell shot back.

"Easy, Russ." Nate warned.

However, Russell wanted nothing to do with Nate. He headed to the door to the kitchen and said, "I ain't going to hurt anyone. And don't you hurt these people either."

"Oh come on." Nate said. "Can we at least be friends?"

"No, we can't." Russell replied and he walked into the kitchen and then exited the diner through the back door. As he left, Russell could hear two gun shots and looked back to the diner sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile… Ulrich finally reached Monroe and looked down to him. "Hey." Monroe said. "Did you get our mystery sniper?"

"Kind of." Ulrich replied as he helped Monroe up and let Monroe lean against him. "Russell and Nate are taking care of it."

As if on cue, Russell appeared to the two and said, "Come on, we need to go." He headed off to the road leaving Monroe and Ulrich confused.

"Slow down, Russell; what's going on?" Ulrich asked as he and Monroe tried to keep up with Russell.

"Nate is not what he appeared to be." Russell said. "Come on, it's not safe being around here." The two teens nodded knowing what Russell meant and they headed off into the woods to find some form of safety.

**A/N: Just so there is no confusion the other 400 Days choices between the other four protagonists is as follows:**

**Vince saves Justin to the cost of Danny's life,**

**Wyatt is left behind by Eddie,**

**Bonnie tells Leland the truth of Dee's demise **

**And Shel and Becca spare Roberto's life and leave Roman's group in the RV instead of killing Stephanie**.

A middle-aged African-American woman looked at the seven photos that had names to them and the map that would lead her to the people in the photos. She analyzed each of the photos and picked up her two way radio and said, "We were right. There are survivors out here."

"Still alive?" A man's voice asked rhetorically from the other end. "Well, they're going to be happy to get rescue. So how many are we talking about here?"

"Around seven, I think," the woman replied. "They left notes with a map to where they are located, so at least they want to be found and I see smoke in the distance which is probably their camp. I'm going to try to make contact tonight." She headed to the car.

"Well, alright, just be careful and use your best judgment. We're building a good community and we want to keep it that way." The man on the other side of the radio said.

"Of course." The woman responded. She entered her vehicle and headed off down the road towards the smoke.

* * *

She approached the appointed area that was indicated on the map at night time. There was a campfire that had three different vehicle parked around it. There was also a table where four people were talking around it. "I found them." The woman said into the radio.

"Holy shit!" The man on the other side of the radio exclaimed. "Good job! Everything ok?"

"So far so good," the woman replied. "I'm going to go and make contact with them. Wish me luck."

"Yeah good luck. Remember don't force them into anything just get as many as you can." The man said.

"You got it." The woman replied. She put the radio down on the passenger seat and started to walk towards the group of survivors. She held her arms in the air as a sign of not wanting confrontation. When she was on the edge of the survivor's camp, she yelled, "Hey! Don't shoot, ok?

A young woman with red hair jumped, surprised by the stranger's presence. "Shit! Vince!" A young African-American man exclaimed.

An Asian man came dashing towards the woman that was at the edge of the camp with what looked like an 8 mm handgun. "Don't move! Who the hell are you?" He exclaimed.

The remaining survivors had gathered around Vince and the middle-aged woman now could put a name to a face. To Vince's left was Bonnie, Monroe, and Becca and to his right was Russell, Ulrich, Wyatt, and Shel. "My name is Tavia." The woman replied.

"How did you find us?" Wyatt asked curious on how this stranger could find them.

"I found your note." Tavia answered as she held the said set of papers in her hand. "I'm a scout from a growing settlement up north; we have clean water, food, and shelter for everyone. We're asking you to help us out to start over."

"My word, this sounds too good to be true, but I think it is." Bonnie said happily.

"Bonnie, get real! Just because you always have to tell the truth all the time, doesn't mean everyone else has to!" Becca exclaimed.

"If I didn't trust people, I would be dead. I know that for sure. People can care about you if you let them." Bonnie replied.

"Like Leland cared when he let you run off-"

"That's enough Becca." Vince said to Becca and then shifted his focus on the whole group. "I've heard about these places. This guy I was 'traveling' with ditched me to find one on his own. He thought…" Vince trailed off and started to contemplate his options of spending his life worrying about walkers and if he'll survive another day or take the risk and go with Tavia to where he could be rewarded a somewhat normal life. He came to a decision and said, "You know what? Let's do it guys. She looks well fed and clean right? We could all do with a meal and a hot shower."

"Let's be a little wary of this." Monroe stated. "Trust is double-edged sword if you put it in the hands of the wrong people." He then sent a glare at Tavia.

"Look we need people, plain and simple. And you folks can decide to come as a group, or split up, or whatever, but I don't want to be out here in the open after dark. So in a few minutes, I'm going to get in my car and be on my way. Hopefully, at least some of you will come with me." Tavia said to the group.

"Well I'm going." Bonnie said confidently.

"Maybe we should go to sis." Becca said to Shel. "If Roman is still looking for us, he wouldn't be able to do anything to us there."

"There's no way that guy is still looking for you." Ulrich said. "We've been to that truck stop there's no one left."

"At least with Roman we know what to expect." Russell added in. "We don't know anything about her."

"Yeah screw this. She could be like that guy that Russell, Ulrich, and Monroe were with." Wyatt said.

"Yeah, that guy was nuts." Monroe agreed.

"Look, I know it's a risk but what else is there. If you guys are going then so are we." Shel said

"No way!" Russell exclaimed surprised that almost everyone trusted Tavia so quickly. "I don't trust her."

"Of course you don't trust her, Russell." Bonnie said worriedly. "You don't trust anyone."

"What will it take to convince you?" Tavia asked.

"I don't think you can convince us." Ulrich said sadly.

"Oh come on you guys." Bonnie said still trying to convince the two teens and Russell to trust Tavia. However, in return for her effort, all three were uninterested. Wyatt also showed no interest in going with Tavia. "We left the notes there for a reason. In case, society would rebuild and find us. Well, this is our dream come true." Bonnie said.

"Well it could be a trap! What if they want to kill us?" Becca said.

"Thank you!" Russell said. "Everyone else out there is bat-shit crazy."

"Well we turned out alright, didn't we?" Bonnie asked rhetorically.

"Relatively speaking," Vince added in.

"You clearly outnumber me! If you wanted to overpower me you could." Tavia said to the group. "Hell, I'll even go along as your hostage until you feel safe. No one is going to hurt you."

"That's not a bad idea actually." Vince said.

Tavia continued and said, "And I'll do it too. Because I know once you guys see this place, you'll change your mind. Look you guys are weary and you have every right to be. You don't know me from a hole in the ground and yeah there are some crazy f****** out there. All I'm here for is to offer you a chance. The choice is yours." She looked around the group of survivors and asked, "Now who wants to come with me?"

There were some exchanged looks before Bonnie raised her hand first. She received a glare from Becca but kept her hand raised.

"Yeah, I'm going." Vince said and he raised his hand as a vote of going with Tavia.

Wyatt didn't respond and instead shook his head not wanting to go.

Shel raised her hand next and Becca followed her shortly.

Monroe and Ulrich exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Russell was conflicted. Half of his group apparently trusted Tavia and part of him wanted to believe her but all he could think about was the hell he went through with Steve. "I….I'm just not sure. We've been out here so long and seen so much bullshit. Is it really worth getting our hopes up?"

"Of course it is Russell. Hope is all we got left." Bonnie said.

"Bonnie has a point." Monroe said as he traced through the scar that started from near his right eye and continued through his now light grey hair. "I'm always hoping that one day I'll find my sister."

"Some of you may have been separated from family or friends. It's a long shot but there is a chance that you may find them there." Tavia said to the group but directed most of her attention to the teens.

Ulrich lit up slightly and smiled, "Have you been through Macon?"

"Yes, I think we have actually." Tavia replied.

Ulrich looked over to Monroe and said, "Come on, if there is a chance that Yumi, Aelita, or anyone in our group is alive, then maybe they're at her settlement."

Monroe huffed and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Monroe then turned to Tavia and said, "Alright, we'll give you a chance."

"Count me in too." Russell said. "But if you try anything, you're going to regret it."

"I'm going too." Wyatt said. "There's a chance that Eddie might be there and I need to set things right between him and me."

"Looks like we have our group." Tavia said as she approached Vince. "What do you want to do with these?" She handed him the notes of him and his fellow survivors.

Vince took the notes and went over to the campfire and threw the notes in the fire as everyone surrounded him and watched, except for Tavia. "This is a good thing. I know it." Bonnie said.

Vince wasn't so sure that Bonnie's statement was completely true and he turned around and asked, "How do we know this will work out?"

Everyone directed their attention to Tavia. Tavia wasn't sure how to answer the question but did anyway, "I give you my word."

**A/N: Next chapter, we start season 2. And as you can tell Monroe and Ulrich are alive. I'm not sure if you guys hate me for that decision but oh well… I thought it would be a nice plot twist. **


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here it is everyone, Season 2. And thanks for the positive feedback with the last chapter. Usually, writers get hammered for fake deaths, anyway, let's keep going. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

A flock crows were startled and flew off into the sky as a group made their way through the woods. One of the group members, Clementine, watched the crows with an intrigued look until she felt Carley place a hand on her shoulder and said, "Come on, baby girl, we need to catch up with the rest of the group." Clementine nodded and they joined the group of teens.

"You can't be serious!" William exclaimed as he and everyone else hunkered down behind the bushes.

"Oh, but I am." Odd said.

"Can't this wait?" Jeremie asked trying to muffle his laughter of the two arguing. The group got up and headed towards the pit stop.

"Normally, yes, but come on Jeremie!" William exclaimed. "This is the worst idea Odd has ever had."

"Spiderman could definitely beat the Hulk in a fight." Odd said in a whiney tone.

"Odd, it's the INCREDIBLE Hulk. No one can beat him in shear strength." William shot back.

"What about Superman?" Clementine asked.

"Different universe." William replied. His eyes then widened and he turned to the child. "Clem, who do you think would win in a fight? A little man with spider outfit and has moderate strength and webs or a big bruiser that can destroy tanks in a matter of seconds."

"Whoa, hold on William, there is much more to Spiderman than that." Odd objected.

"Like what?" William asked.

"Does it really matter?" Clementine asked.

Odd face palmed while William sighed and said, "I guess that's what we get for asking a girl's opinion on the matter."

"Do they always act like that?" Clementine asked Yumi and Aelita.

"All the time." Yumi and Aelita said in unison.

They finally reached the restrooms and Odd looked to Jeremie and asked, "Jeremie, you think Spiderman would win against the Hulk in a fight, right?"

"Look, I'm not going to get involved." Jeremie chuckled. "I don't know anything about the Hulk or Spiderman." He shook his head at his friend's nonsense and looked over toward the rest of the pitstop and said, "I'm going to go check out the area." Jeremie then left with his gun at the ready. Aelita smiled and joined him. Odd and William shrugged and the two followed Jeremie and Aelita.

Carley walked up to Clementine and crouched down to her level and said, "How about you go to the girl's room, Clem? Your face looks filthy." Carley even smirked when the young girl ran her fingers through her dirt-smudged cheeks.

Clementine then said, "I hope the sink still works in there."

"I doubt it, honey, just keep a track of your things while you are in there." Carley replied.

Clementine nodded and went into the restroom. She looked around and raised her gun. She checked each of the stalls and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no one inside. Clementine then saw the cracked mirror and went to it. She cringed at what she looked like. Carley was right; she was filthy. Out of habit, she turned the faucet on but there was no water. "I figured as much." Clementine muttered and she grabbed her water bottle and a handkerchief from her bag and wetted it with the water. Clementine then proceeded to wipe her face.

She looked back up and smiled, "Better." She then put the handkerchief back in her bag and was about to grab her water bottle until she accidentally knocked it over. "Oh, shoot." Clementine muttered and went into the stall to go after it.

She picked it up but then she heard the door open and a shadow appeared. Thinking it was either Yumi or Aelita, Clementine came out of the stall casually but froze as soon as she saw the figure was someone else. The stranger, Michelle, picked up Clem's gun and held it toward Clem.

Clem was frightened and slowly raised her hands up. Michelle started to scowl and said, "Don't move or I'll pop you."

"Who are you?" Clementine asked.

"None of your damn business." Michelle snapped.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Clementine asked.

"Only if ya stupid!" Michelle shot back. She then rummaged through Clementine's backpack and glared at the girl. "You don't have anything in here but shit. Where's the rest of your stuff?"

Clementine hesitantly shook her head and said, "That's all I have."

Michelle then noticed Clementine's hat and said, "Give me that hat."

"No!" Clementine exclaimed.

Michelle was surprised by the answer she got but simply asked, "Where'd you get it from?"

"M-M-My dad gave it to me." Clementine stuttered.

Suddenly, the door opened and Aelita came into sight. She looked shock to see the scavenger was holding Clementine at gunpoint. Michelle hadn't noticed her and Aelita went for the gun in the scavenger's hand. Meanwhile, Michelle kept sputtering insults, "Junk, junk, and more junk. Shit, shit, and more shit." Clementine whimpered in fear as Aelita kept advancing toward the scavenger until the scavenger pulled out a picture of Lee. "Who is this bozo? Is he your daddy?" Aelita started to scowl. Not only did Michelle insult someone who was dead but she also insulted someone that was like a father to Aelita. "Are you going to cry little fish?" Michelle spoke but it was the last thing she sputtered.

Aelita grabbed onto the gun and pulled back Michelle's arm. Michelle screamed in pain and shock until Aelita slammed her face into the sink. Michelle yelled in pain and her grip loosened on the gun. Aelita took the gun and held it at Michelle. "Okay, okay, we're cool!" Michelle exclaimed out of fear of Aelita as she raised her arms defensively.

"We are not cool." Aelita replied angrily. Jeremie ran into the restroom, followed by Yumi and Carley. William and Odd stood guard outside of the restroom.

"Aelita, Clementine are you okay?" Jeremie asked.

Aelita looked over to Jeremie and said, "This scavenger held Clementine at gun point and insulted her."

"She what?" Carley asked angrily. She then heard Clementine whimpering over by the stall. Carley's motherly instincts kicked in and went to the young girl and crouched down to her level.

"I-I'm sorry." Clementine apologized.

Carley looked sympathetically to Clementine and took her hands in hers. "It's okay, honey. Let's get out of here." The two passed the teens as Jeremie, Aelita, and Yumi considered what they should do.

"Well, what now?" Jeremie asked. "It's too dangerous to let her live." Jeremie gestured to Michelle.

"Whoa, whoa, stop. Please I won't hurt anyone ever again. I promise." Michelle pleaded.

"Bull crap!" Aelita exclaimed. Jeremie and Yumi looked on stun at how mad Aelita was but who could blame her. She continued, "You were going to kill a nine year old." Aelita then felt someone's hand on her shoulder. It was Yumi.

"Come on, Aelita." Yumi said comfortingly. "Let Jeremie handle this. I know you don't want to do this." Aelita looked down sadly knowing that Yumi was right. She doesn't want to kill people. She only does it as a last resort for survival.

Aelita nodded and she lowered her gun. Jeremie then drew his gun as Michelle started to panic. "Please, can't we talk about this?"

Jeremie shook his head and looked to the two girls. "I'll be outside in a minute. Be ready to move."

They nodded and Yumi escorted Aelita out of the stall.

Outside, Carley hugged Clementine tightly until she noticed Aelita. Carley got up and hugged her as well. "Are you okay? Where's that scavenger?"

"Jeremie's taking care of it." Yumi replied. Suddenly there was a loud gunshot. They looked over to the restroom where the gun shot originated until Jeremie came out.

He then looked at each of them and said, "Let's get moving. This area's going to be swarming with walkers in a few minutes." They nodded and walked down the road.

**One Year Later**

Clementine sat in front of the fire as she stared at it contemplating on what has happened throughout the day. It was a cold night but Clementine felt somewhat comfortable wearing a denim long-sleeve dress with her tights and a pair of black shoes that have replaced her ballet slippers. Her skin was darker to be a coco brown color to reflect her ethnicity. However, she only gained a couple of inches in height since the events of Lee's death. She stared around the camp as Odd and William desperately tried to keep the fire alive. William now wore a brown jacket with a navy blue long-sleeve shirt underneath, a pair of green cargo pants and a pair of brown shoes. Odd now wore a purple hooded sweatshirt over a pink shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of yellow shoes. Jeremie sat off at the side talking to Yumi. They have changed since the incident with Lee and the Stranger. Yumi wore a dirty white hooded-sweatshirt, a pair of black jeans and shoes. Jeremie wore a red turtleneck sweater, a pair of jeans, and a pair of shoes with the bunch of hair that was in a pony-tail cut off. They had all changed but thankfully not for the worst.

Someone sat down next to Clementine, it was Aelita. She sent a sad smile to the girl but went back to staring at the poor fire that Odd and William were making. Aelita had changed quite a bit. She now wore a pink long-sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of pink boots. Things had been very rough for her since the incident 4 months ago. Clementine looked sadly at Aelita and said, "Aelita, please talk to me." But Aelita did not respond; she was too depressed. Jeremie went over and took his turn to comfort Aelita but to no avail. She needed Carley back. She needed Lee back. She needed Monroe back.

"Forget this shit!" William exclaimed. All eyes turned to him. He took a breath to calm down and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just…"

"It's okay." Yumi said as she went up to him and hugged him. William returned the embrace.

Odd approached Jeremie and Jeremie asked, "Is everything okay?"

"No." Odd stated bluntly and shook his head. "The wood's too wet to burn. We'll be having Mr. Weasel over there for breakfast at this rate."

Clementine felt her stomach growl from lack of food but did not want the Lyoko Warriors to feel bad. "I can wait till then."

Jeremie stressfully put his forehead in his hand and stood up saying, "You shouldn't have to. It's my fault; I feel completely worthless out here."

Suddenly Aelita got up and hugged him and said, "It's not your fault." Everyone's eyes widened. Aelita has been less than responsive for quite a long time. Since Carley disappeared, it would have to be a good day just to get two words out of her. "You're doing the best you can. Anyone can see that."

"We're all here for you Einstein." Odd said supportively.

Jeremie nodded and smiled to Aelita who released him from the hug, "I'm glad to hear you talking again." Aelita smiled in response and the two looked at each other longingly.

"Hey, guys." William said catching everyone's attention, "Yumi and I are going to go out and get some more wood. Be back in a few." With that, William and Yumi went deeper into the woods.

Thirty minutes went by and the other four sat there watching the fire until they heard rustling from the bushes. "That must be William and Yumi." Jeremie said as he went toward the edge of their camp. But to Jeremie's horror, three guys came out of the woods. Two were armed with firearms and another used a machete. Aelita and Clementine quickly grabbed their 8 mm handguns and Odd picked up his crossbow.

One of them grabbed Jeremie by his sweater and pointed a gun at his head. "Lower your weapons now!" One of the scavengers demanded. Aelita and Clementine hesitantly lowered their handguns and Odd lowered his crossbow.

"Where's the rest of your group?" One of the men exclaimed.

"This is OUR group!" Jeremie exclaimed.

"Bullshit, you expect us to believe that it's just a bunch of kids out here!" The man shouted. Odd and Aelita looked on in horror as the supposed leader shoved his gun into Jeremie's temple even more, but then they saw something behind the scavengers.

"It's just us!" Aelita exclaimed.

"Bullshit!" The one armed with a machete exclaimed.

"She's lying!" The other armed with a hunting exclaimed.

Then the one who had Jeremie at gun point said, "Cut the shit kid or your boyfriend dies." Suddenly from behind the scavenger, Yumi appeared and used a nearby tree to reach him with her knife. She, then, proceeded to stab him in the throat. The man started choking and struggled as Yumi hung on for dear life. Jeremie grabbed the gun from the man and tried to shoot but the man armed with the machete took his chance and attacked Jeremie.

William ran over and tackled Jeremie from the possibly fatal blow from the man. Aelita turned to Clementine and yelled, "Clementine, run!"

Clementine's eyes widened but she grabbed her backpack anyways and made a break for it. In the distance, she heard a gunshot but she kept going. However, she wasn't completely safe. One of the scavengers armed with a machete chased after her.

Clementine ran into an opening and heard footsteps from behind. She hid behind a nearby tree and heard the man, Winston, say, "Get out here now! Come on kid; I'm not messing around." She finally came out from cover and high-tailed it for a path. Winston saw her though and exclaimed, "Shit, get over here!" Clementine evaded his attempts to catch her and she dived under a fallen tree. Winston had to go around while Clementine got some distance between herself and the man.

A walker stood in the middle of the pathway looking for its next meal until it let out a satisfied growl upon seeing Clementine. She swerved from the creature and it created a road block between her and Winston. But Clementine knew that the walker wouldn't take long for Winston to deal with. As Winston kicked the walker down, Clementine grabbed a tree branch from another fallen tree. Winston finished off the walker and charged at her and almost got impaled by the tree limbs when she stepped aside. He stopped himself exclaiming, "Whoa!" Clementine then hits him with the tree branch as he exclaimed, "Are you f****** kidding me!"

Clementine ran further until she was met by a river. Winston came out of the woods and grabbed her and she exclaimed, "Leave me alone!"

"Stop f****** squirming!" Winston said angrily as he tried to keep his grip on the girl. Clementine kept kicking until an idea came to her but it wasn't going to be pleasant. She bit down on Winston's thumb and the scavenger yelled out in pain. "Let go you little bitch! Holy shit!" Clementine bit down harder and dislocated the thumb as Winston yelled in pain. Winston dropped Clementine and held his thumb until he saw her run for a log for safety. Winston took a hold of her leg and said, "Get out of there." Clementine yelped as Winston kept trying to get her out of the log. She kept her grip and kicked him a couple of times until he was able to pull her out. He got on top of her and said, "Kid, you're on my last freaking nerve."

However, Winston was so busy trying to attack Clementine that he failed to detect the walker that was right behind him. The walker bit down on his neck and he let out blood-curdling scream. Winston collapsed on Clementine as the walker feasted on him. Clementine used her remaining strength to get out from under Winston and noticed that the fight between her and Winston drew many walkers. They surrounded Clementine and she started to back away.

However, Clementine lost her footing and she feel in the river below. She came back up from underwater and took a deep breath but the current was too strong. There was nothing she could do. She wasn't even sure if the Lyoko Warriors were alive.

* * *

Clementine's eyes fluttered as she woke up on the river bank. She clutched her stomach in pain and whined. After a few moments, She got up and looked around. None of the landmarks were familiar to her even though she was miles downstream. "Hello!" Clementine called out." She went along the river bank and saw several wrecked canoes. She kept walking and discovered a destroyed boardwalk. She looked around it to see if there was another way up but there wasn't. She then started to move one of the wrecked canoes over to the destroyed boardwalk. From there she walked back and ran for it, jumping off the canoe and barely grabbing onto the boardwalk. She grunted and huffed as she pulled herself up onto the boardwalk.

She climbed the stairs of the boardwalk which went to a clearing. The clearing had a couple of graves in the far left of it, while on the far right there was a dead walker with a flagpole sticking out of its skull.

"Jeremie, Aelita!" Clementine called out desperately.

Upon receiving no response, Clementine started to walk down a trail. "Yumi?" Clementine yelled and she continued down the path. Clementine held her arms and felt extremely vulnerable. She couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was going to attack her. The trees didn't help with the atmosphere as they stood over her with an intimidating look. Clementine then saw a fallen tree on the path. Clementine struggled over it and said, "Grr…I hate being short."

She finally managed to climb over the fallen tree and continued to walk down the path. She concentrated on the trees until a flock of crows came out of nowhere. Clementine gasped and took a couple of seconds to get her bearing. She kept going down the path and yelled out, "Odd, William?" She stopped and gasped when she heard a rustle from the nearby bushes. She slowly crept up to the bushes and peered over them.

On the other side of the bushes was a dog. His sandy fur coat looked filthy and it sniffed the ground until it heard the young girl. At first, Clementine was ecstatic to see a dog. It had been a very long time since she has seen one. Her enthusiasm gave out when the dog started to growl at her. "Easy boy, it's okay." Clementine said as she slowly went to pet the dog. She did so but it did little to calm the dog, "Right, I shouldn't do that anymore."

Suddenly the dog perked up and ran for something. "Wait, what'd you find boy?" She followed the dog to another clearing where an abandoned campsite was. The dog sniffed around as the girl looked through some of the boxes. The campsite was completely destroyed. Pots, pans, and empty food cans littered the area. One of the tents was burnt to a crisp while the other laid in shatter pieces. And a rusted out van sat near the edge of camp. Clementine spent quite a bit of time looking for something to eat but was unsuccessful.

Soon, Clementine found a flying disc and looked over to a happy dog. He somehow still remembered what the flying disc was for. She smiled and threw the flying disc telling the dog to fetch it. The dog ran along and caught it while it was in midair. He brought the flying disc back and Clementine threw it a couple more times until she accidentally threw it too far. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted." Clementine said sadly.

Clementine's stomach growled even louder and she clutched it. She needed to find food and quickly. She then noticed a trashcan. She sighed and said, "It's the only thing that I haven't checked yet." She went over and stood on her tip-toes so she could put her hands in the trash can. She pulled up the sleeves of her denim dress and put her hands into the garbage. She finally felt something and took it out of the trash and looked at it. It was a can of beans and it seemed heavy in her hand. "There is something in here; I just hope it's not rotten."

She then heard the dog growl at something by the tree. "What is it boy?" She walked over to see the dog growling at a tied up walker with a knife coming out of its shoulder. "It's okay boy." Clementine comforted the dog. "He isn't going to hurt anyone." She then noticed the knife that stuck out of the walkers shoulder and said, "I could use that to open the can." She reached for the knife but the walker pulled away and tried to grab onto her arm. Clementine then sighed and looked around. After a while, she found a tire iron in the van and walked back to the walker. She took four whacks at the walker until it finally fell over limp.

She grabbed the knife and cleaned it with her handkerchief. She looked at the blade and said, "It still looks sharp." She went over to the log and used the knife to cut the top of the can. She smiled and exclaimed, "Yes! Thank you!" The contents of the can were still good. She made a couple more cuts until she could finally eat the beans.

After a couple of handfuls, Clementine could hear the dog whining. The dog sat at her feet and had a beg face, "I guess you're hungry too." Clementine said and she offered a handful of beans to the dog. The dog snapped at the food and gulfed it down in one bit; however, he wasn't satisfied and snapped the can out of Clementine grasp.

"Hey, don't eat it all." Clementine said as she grabbed the can from the dog. The dog immediately growled angrily and bit down on the girl's arm. The dog possessed surprisingly decent strength; he brought the girl to the ground. The dog, then, lunged for her but Clementine used her arm to keep the dog at a distance.

It snarled and growled as Clementine desperately reached for the knife. She slashed at the dog three times until its grip loosened and Clementine could kick it away. She backed away and whimpered in fear until she could hear the dog struggling. She crept to where one of the shattered tents were and saw the dog struggling to breathe. One of the broken poles went through his leg as another pierced through his body. Clementine looked at the dog sadly and knelt down to put the creature out of its misery, while saying, "Sorry."

She got back up and felt a sting of pain from her arm. She looked down at her arm and noticed that she had a bite mark on it. It was the dog's bite. She whimpered from the pain but continued on down the path. She wasn't just hungry; she was also tired. She laid down next to a rock and allowed her eyes to droop until she noticed a walker in the distance. She perked up and looked around to notice several other walkers. She struggled as she got up and started to walk. She would have ran but her strength was weakening and she couldn't have ran if she tried. She got a couple of feet until a walker knocked her over. It snarled and growled at her and she used all of her remaining strength to push it off of her but to no avail. Just as she was about to give up and let death take her, the walker's head was sliced clean off.

One man lifted the walker off of her as the other shot two other walkers. "I'm out. Grab her and let's go." The man with a crossbow said.

The man that took the walker off of her got down and picked her up. "Come on kid." He then lifted her as she yelped. The two men ran off with Clementine as fast as they could, all the while avoiding walkers left and right.

They finally stopped and the older man with the crossbow huffed, "I think we lost them."

"Yeah we're good." The younger man said. The two then looked down to Clementine as she seemed to relax. "Hey kid, you alright?"

"I-I think so." Clementine replied. The two men started head deeper in the woods. Clementine was obviously concerned. She didn't want to stray too far from the river but she didn't have any other choice. She was too weakened from exhaustion and hunger to back-track to the river and follow it back up to where the Lyoko Warriors were last night.

"What are you doing out here? Where are the people you are with?" The older man asked concerned for the young girl.

"Yeah, because there's no way you made it all this way on your own." The younger man added in.

"My friends and I were attacked." Clementine stated bluntly. The two men jumped slightly in response.

"Did the people who attacked you say they were looking for someone or something like that?" The younger man asked.

"They may have wanted the food we had. We were cooking some sort of weasel." Clementine said.

"They attacked you for a weasel? Man, that's low." The younger man said. He put a smile on his face and said, "Well my name's Luke and this here's Pete." The younger man indicated to his older accomplice.

"Hi there." Pete said.

"Hi, I'm Clementine." The girl introduced herself to the men. She hadn't received a nice welcome from strangers for so long. It was refreshing.

"Well it's nice to meet you Clementine." Luke said and he looked down at her. "Pete and I are going to take you back to our cabin. You look like you could use some-" Luke then stopped himself as he looked down at the bite on Clementine's arm and he jumped back. "Oh shit!" Luke exclaimed as he dropped her.

Clementine grunted when she hit the ground and Pete looked at Luke questioningly, "What, what is it?"

"She's- She's been bit man." Luke said. He began to pace back and forth exclaiming, "Shit, shit! What are we going to do?"

"No, it was a dog." Clementine said.

"I didn't see a dog, Clementine." Pete said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Come on kid! We saw you with all of those lurkers back there." Luke said as he continued to panic.

"Please, believe me." Clementine pleaded.

Pete stood their contemplating his options and said, "Alright, let's take a look." He knelt down and started to roll up Clementine's denim sleeve.

"Hey watch yourself man." Luke warned. Clementine felt hurt that Luke would suggest that she was dangerous and looked at him with sad eyes. "Hey don't look at me that way. You're the one who's bit." Luke said as he turned to avoid her stare.

Pete examined the wound and pondered. "So is it as she said?" Luke asked.

"I don't know; it could be a dog." Pete said as he rolled down Clementine's sleeve and helped her back up. "So where did this dog go? The one that attacked you?"

"I-I killed it." Clementine said sadly.

"What? Really? A dog shows up and bites you and you just kill it?" Luke criticized her.

"What would you have done?" Pete shot back.

"It attacked me." Clementine said.

"Still, you… you don't kill dogs." Luke said sadly. Clementine looked down sadly in response.

"Hm…" Pete continued to ponder and said, "Alright, we'll take her to Carlos."

"Are you sure about this?" Luke asked.

"I am sure that I ain't willing to leave a little girl out in the woods, when we have someone who could make a better call." Pete shot back.

Luke scowled and said, "Nick ain't going to like this, not after-"

"You don't need to remind me of that, boy!" Pete shot back.

Luke lost his scowl and apologized, "Yes sir. Sorry sir." Pete put a comforting hand on his shoulder and nodded toward a structure in the distance. The structure was a cabin.

The two then headed toward the cabin with Clementine struggling to keep up. Pete turned around and said, "Clementine, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine… I'm just… tired." Clementine replied.

"Yeah well you better be fine because I ain't carrying you with that bite on your arm." Luke said.

"Don't worry about…" Clementine couldn't finish her sentence as she fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ah shit." Luke grumbled and he and Pete ran to her.

* * *

Clementine was starting to wake up and noticed yelling and arguing. She looked around and saw Pete. Next to Pete was a man holding a rifle while watching the argument. The rifle was aimed at Clementine. A bigger man stood in the background trying to calm everyone down as a pregnant lady argued with Pete. "Now hold on, Rebecca!" Pete exclaimed.

"You should have killed her right there and then." Rebecca said angrily. "Dog bite, my ass."

"I need a doc-" Clementine began to say but was cut off when the man armed with a rifle almost shot her. He stood over her with a scowl as Clementine gasped in fear.

"Finger off the trigger son!" Pete criticized the man armed with the hunting rifle and snatched the rifle from him.

The door to the cabin opened and Luke came out exclaiming, "Whoa, whoa! What the f**!" He ran toward the group but what Clementine didn't see as she shifted her attention back to the adults was a boy following him.

"You idiot!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Every lurker for five miles probably heard that!"

"You're the one who's telling me to freaking shoot her!" The man shot back.

"Everyone just calmed down for a second." The bigger man said as he got between Rebecca and the man who was armed with a hunting rifle.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked Clementine. She nodded but then her eyes widened when she saw the boy who was accompanying him.

He was a teenager with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark green hooded-sweater, pair of blue jeans, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and black sneakers. However, the distinguishing feature of the boy was the katana that was strapped to his back by a white harness. The boy didn't notice her and instead criticized the adults. "You idiots!" The boy exclaimed. "Why are you shooting this close to the house? Are you trying to get us killed by the walkers?"

"Ulrich!" Clementine exclaimed trying to get his attention.

Ulrich turned around and immediately lost his scowl. His face warped from anger to shock to happiness. "Clem!" The boy said happily. He went to her and squatted down to her level and hugged her tightly.

They released each other from their hug and Ulrich exclaimed, "I can't believe it! You're alive!"

"Wait, you know her?" Luke asked.

Ulrich chuckled and said, "Yeah, she's… an old friend."

Another boy approached behind Ulrich and Clementine gasped. She thought she was seeing a ghost. She even rubbed her eyes to make sure but the boy was still there. This boy had short grey hair and hazel eyes. He wore a grey hooded sweater, a pair of jeans, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of black boots. The boy also had a distinguishable scar that ran from near his right eye into his hairline.

"M-Monroe?" Clementine asked shocked to see the boy.

Monroe got down to eye-level with Clementine and smiled as Ulrich got up to allow the two to talk. "Hi, Clem. I guess you weren't expecting to see me again."

Clementine returned the smiled and shook her head. The two exchanged comforting stares and enjoyed the moment of silence. Monroe looked down to Clementine's arm and frowned. "Can I look at your arm?" Monroe asked.

Clementine nodded and offered her arm to him. Monroe carefully pulled up the sleeve. He examined the bite and cringed slightly from how painful it looked.

"This isn't how we do things man." The guy, Nick, said to Luke. "When you're bit, you get put down. End of story. I'm not going through this again."

"No one suggesting that." Luke shot back.

"Nick, calm down!" Ulrich exclaimed. "You aren't doing shit until Monroe has had the chance to examine the wound!"

"Carlos is the doctor, not that stupid kid!" Nick exclaimed.

"I know what I'm doing Nick. I don't need lip from the peanut gallery." Monroe shot back.

Nick snarled at Monroe and glared at him. "Let me take a look." Carlos said as he approached Monroe from behind.

Monroe shook his head and said, "No, besides I know this is not a walker bite."

"How can you tell?" Rebecca asked with a snarl.

"The wound gives it away. Whatever bit her has a snout." Monroe informed. "The bit is too narrow and long to be from a human chomp." Clementine smiled. Finally, someone believed her. However, the cabin members did not believe him. With what happened to Margret four weeks ago, none of them were taking chances.

…**To be Continued**


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Let me just take a look at her." Carlos said unconvinced by Monroe observation. "I know you're medical knowledge is decent especially for your age but I want to make sure."

"Okay." Monroe said as he backed away. "But you will find that I am correct." Carlos rolled his eyes and got down to examine Clementine's arm.

"Whatever it was, it got you good." Carlos said as he examined the wound.

The group waited for Carlos to come to a decision. Meanwhile, Nick and Rebecca glared at Clementine.

Monroe noticed this and said, "Guys relax, she isn't our enemy."

"How do you know that?" Nick asked.

"Because Monroe and I were in the same group as her at some point." Ulrich replied. Neither were convinced and continued to glare at Clementine.

Carlos finished his assessment and got up. "So what's the verdict?" Luke asked.

"A bite like that, it could be anything. Only one way to find out which is by keeping her in the shed." Carlos said.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Monroe interjected. "She won't survive the night."

"I'm not wasting supplies on a lurker bite." Carlos shot back.

"You wouldn't have those supplies in the first place without me and Monroe." Ulrich argued.

"I think we should just shoot her." Nick said coldly. Luke and Pete were shocked to hear him to say that and they glared at him.

"Well, it's a good thing that no one pays you to think, Nick." Monroe snapped. Nick seethed and glared at him in response

"We keep her in the shed and that is final." Carlos said angrily.

"B-But my arm, it-it needs stitched and bandaged and disinfected." Clementine protested. However, Carlos ignored her and went back to the house.

"I'm sorry but that's about the best you're going to get." Luke apologized.

Nick went over to Pete to get his rifle back. Pete pulled the rifle away from Nick and said, "Finger off the trigger son."

"I'm not your son!" Nick shot back as he snatched the rifle from Pete's hands.

"Come on man, don't be like that!" Luke criticized.

"It's alright. He's got his mom's temper." Pete remarked.

Nick turned to face Clementine to escort her to the cabin until Monroe got between him and Clementine. "I'm going to escort Clementine to the shed, not you." Monroe said coldly to Nick.

Nick scowled and replied, "F- you man."

"Then get smarter and use a gun properly." Monroe snapped.

"And I'm going to check the perimeter." Ulrich said as he glared at Nick. "That shot probably alerted the walkers nearby." Ulrich left with his hand over his katana and headed toward the fence as Monroe and Luke escorted Clementine to the shed.

"This is a waste of time!" Rebecca snarled. "You'll see and when it happens, I'm not going to be the one cleaning it up."

"Huh? Rebecca must be having one of those days." Monroe mumbled.

Luke looked over to Monroe and scowled, "You need to be nicer to Nick."

"Why? He isn't my friend." Monroe said darkly. "I can only tolerate stupid for so long."

"Yeah, well, what about that friend of yours, Odd was it?" Luke asked.

"Odd acts stupid for entertainment and fun. Nick is just stupid." Monroe said coldly. "There's a big difference between the two."

"You know Nick is a mess after Margret-" Luke criticized Monroe.

"Luke that was four weeks ago; he needs to get over it. He almost shot a ten year old and that is not tolerated, not in my books." Monroe snapped.

"My arm really hurts." Clementine whimpered.

Monroe looked over sadly to Clementine and said, "I wish that Ulrich and I could do more for you." Clementine looked down sadly in response as they reached the shed. She went inside and Monroe couldn't help but be disgusted by the whole scenario. He let out a frustrated sigh which didn't go unnoticed by Luke.

"Look, I know you don't like it but-" Luke started but was interrupted by Monroe. "We can at least give her a blanket to stay warm or something."

"Why? We don't owe her anything." Rebecca said as she, Nick and Alvin approached the two. Luke started to put chains on the door with a lock.

"Is that really necessary?" Monroe asked.

"Duh!" Nick exclaimed. "You don't want her coming back and kill Ulrich and Sarah, do you?"

Monroe jumped from hearing Nick say something so dark and then glared at him and mumbled, "Whatever. Sometimes, this group is nothing but a damn headache." He then stomped back towards the cabin. Nick looked remorseful knowing that he went too far.

"Monroe, come on man!" Luke yelled after.

"Shut it! All of you!" Monroe exclaimed angrily.

Luke glared towards Nick and said, "You went way too far back there. You know how much he loves Sarah and how he cares for his friend."

"I'm sorry, man; I just- I got caught up in the moment." Nick apologized.

Luke lost his glare and sighed. "Come on, let's just go back inside." With that, they returned to the house and had a house meeting of what to do with Clementine. It was quite unfair since Ulrich was still out on the perimeter and the vote was four to three of not helping Clementine.

* * *

It was three in the morning and the house was silent. The cabin seemed to be warm and inviting but one person within the cabin was restless. Monroe looked up to the ceiling of the room and grunted in anger. He, then, got up and silently looked through his bag of supplies.

Ulrich stirred from the opposite bed and looked at him questioningly, "What are you doing?" Ulrich asked.

Monroe jumped and looked over to Ulrich, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Monroe replied as he got up with his backpack on. "I'm going to help Clem." Monroe then headed for the door but Ulrich stopped him.

"You're not going out there." Ulrich replied. "Not alone." Monroe smiled to his friend and the two walked down the stairs very quietly. Both agonizing over the fear that someone will instantly find them, and hoping that the group was too lazy to send someone out for night watch. They breathed a sigh of relief as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Monroe cautiously picked up his halberd that laid against the wall as Ulrich strapped the harness that held his katana. Monroe, then, turned the doorknob and the two slipped to the outside. However, they were met with a shocking scene. The shed that Clementine was in was surrounded by eight walkers. Monroe and Ulrich could hear Clementine's screams and whimpers.

"Oh, shit!" Ulrich whispered sharply.

"We have to move quickly." Monroe said as he charged toward the group of walkers. He used his halberd and sliced one of the walkers down. Another came towards him but stopped dead as he used the spearhead to puncture its skull.

Meanwhile, Ulrich sliced two of the walkers heading towards him and did one final slash at the two. There were four left and they limped towards the two.

Monroe swung his halberd and killed one but his halberd became stuck in the creature's skull. The other easily closed the gap between it and its prey, and got on top of him but was easily overpowered. Monroe kicked the creature off of him and retrieved his halberd. He, then, stabbed it in the back of the head as it struggled to get up.

Ulrich found the other two just as easy and slashed at them. One died through the thrust of his sword and the other was sliced in half vertically.

They both huffed after finishing the job but they could still hear Clementine whimpering, "Lee… no…. help." They ran to the shed door and saw that the chains and lock were still on. The key was probably with Luke who was in the house.

"No time for the key." Monroe stated bluntly. He backed away and smashed the lock with the dark-bloody blade of his halberd. Both hastily got the chains off and opened the door.

Inside, Clementine was curled up in a ball with tears rolling down from her eyes. Ulrich ran to her side and shook her softly. "Clem, Clem, wake up."

Clementine's eyes fluttered and she looked around. She was unaware of her surroundings at first but she then got used to them and said, "Ulrich? Monroe? Is it morning yet? I don't feel good." Clementine said as Ulrich and Monroe looked on sadly.

"We're close enough." Monroe replied. He then put his hand to her forehead and said, "She's warm but not as warm if it was a walker bite." Monroe then dug around in his backpack and pulled out a first-aid kit. "I need a little light Ulrich."

Ulrich nodded and grabbed flashlight from his bag and shined it in Monroe's direction. Monroe took a syringe out and cleaned it with a water bottle that was also in the kit. Monroe then pulled out a container of morphine and drew from it. "Alright, this is going to sting a bit but it will be less painful than the disinfectant and stitches." Monroe said as he carefully took the syringe from the container.

Clementine nodded as Ulrich pulled back her sleeve. Ulrich shined a light on her arm and Monroe took a second to figure out where the vein was. He then injected the needle as Clementine hissed in pain. He emptied the syringe and took it out to place a cotton swab on the injection point. "Now what do we do?" Clementine asked as Monroe used a bit of cloth and wrapped around a cotton swab.

"Now we wait." Monroe said as he tied the cloth off. "We need a few minutes for the morphine to work but due to how tired you are and…" Monroe couldn't finish his sentence as Clementine fell over backwards. Ulrich caught her before she would have bumped her head and sighed. "Can you get her inside and put her in my bed?" Monroe asked. Ulrich nodded and picked her up bridal style. The two then headed back to the house.

They entered the house and breathed a sigh of relief to see that no one woke up from the walkers and Clementine. The said girl rested peacefully in Ulrich's arms and they cautiously got her upstairs. Monroe and Ulrich entered their room and Ulrich laid the resting girl in Monroe's bed. From there, Monroe disinfected her arm, stitched it, and wrapped it in gauze, while Ulrich provided light with the flashlight. Monroe smiled and carefully rolled her sleeve down and tucked the girl in.

"What now?" Ulrich asked.

"We rest and await the onslaught of our angry group tomorrow." Monroe whispered.

"We did the right thing." Ulrich whispered.

"Yeah, I know, but they won't understand." Monroe replied

Ulrich nodded and went back to the bed. He removed his gloves, shoes, and harness as Monroe removed his gloves and boots near the chair that was in the room. Ulrich laid on the bed and Monroe slumped into the chair.

**5 Hours Later**

Ulrich and Monroe stretched as they got up and yawned. Monroe went over to Clementine and put his hand to her head and nodded happily.

"She's okay?" Ulrich asked.

"Yes, her temperature is returning to normal." Monroe replied.

"What the f-!" Rebecca exclaimed from outside. The group members, except for Sarah, were around the shed with eight dead walkers around it.

"We better check that out." Monroe said. Ulrich nodded and the two put on their gloves and shoes. Ulrich strapped on the harness of his katana as they ran down the stairs.

They ran outside as Nick and Luke examined the walkers and Carlos explained, "It had to be them. Who else could it be?"

"They'll pay for this." Rebecca said angrily.

"What's going on?" Ulrich asked.

The group turned and they glared at the two teens. Carlos was the first to speak up, "We all agreed that we would wait until morning to help that girl, but you two decide to do this."

"She would have died if we did nothing!" Monroe protested. "I mean look at all of these walkers!"

"Where is she?" Rebecca exclaimed angrily.

"She is in our room recovering. I let her sleep in my bed." Monroe replied.

"You left her in there with Sarah?" Carlos exclaimed. "Are you stupid?"

"Even if she tried, she can't do anything!" Ulrich defended Monroe. "She is suffering from exhaustion which is why she fainted yesterday. She probably won't wake for hours."

"So it wasn't a lurker bite?" Luke asked optimistically.

"Duh, but of course you all were too afraid to help her." Monroe said coldly. "If she would have died last night, that blood would have been on your hands!" His glare was sent towards Rebecca, Carlos, and Nick. Monroe didn't glare at Alvin, Luke, or Pete because Alvin didn't have much say in the matter, thanks to Rebecca, and Luke and Pete tried to help Clementine. Monroe growled and headed back to the cabin.

Luke sighed and said, "Come on Nick. I'm going to need help burning these bodies."

"F- that." Nick said and he wandered off.

"Nick!" Pete yelled but Nick ignored him and kept going. "Dammit." Pete then turned to Luke and said, "I'm going to go and make sure that dumb kid doesn't do anything." Luke nodded and Pete ran after Nick.

"I'll bring the truck over." Alvin said. Carlos stared at the cabin and headed back to follow Monroe.

"How am I going to do this by myself?" Luke asked no one in particular. Rebecca rolled her eyes and went back to the cabin as well. Her pace was slow though due to being late into her pregnancy.

"You still have me, don't you?" Ulrich said happily.

Luke smiled and said. "Yeah I do. Thanks kid."

Monroe entered the cabin and saw Sarah enjoying a bowl of oatmeal as she read a book. Monroe smiled and grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and joined her at the table. She looked up and smiled, "Your smile always makes my day better." Monroe remarked.

"Yours too." Sarah replied. "What was going on out there? I heard Rebecca curse. Is it bad?"

Monroe looked down sadly and was about to reply until Carlos entered the room. "Your boyfriend and his friend did something wrong." Sarah looked from her father to her boyfriend.

"I was trying to help a child." Monroe said calmly.

"A child?" Carlos exclaimed. "You put my child in danger to save her! She could have come back and killed my daughter!"

Monroe noticed that Sarah was starting to whimper and said, "Carlos, you need to calm down. You're upsetting Sarah."

Carlos glared angrily and said, "So you automatically know how my daughter feels. She is better off without you. If anything, you are holding her back."

"Stop it!" Sarah shouted. She looked at her father angrily and ran for her room crying the whole way.

Carlos was surprised by the sudden outburst and sighed. Monroe got up angrily and left the kitchen. Carlos followed with a remorseful look.

They both went into the living room. Rebecca stood at the doorway and glared at Monroe and Carlos. "What did you do?" Rebecca snapped at the two.

Carlos spoke and said, "It's my-"

"Save it." Rebecca snapped at Carlos and went upstairs. "Sarah, baby, it's okay."

Monroe seethed and headed for the door. Carlos sighed and said, "I'm sorry."

"Shut up and leave me alone." Monroe said angrily. He grabbed his halberd and went outside. He slammed the door on his way out which made Carlos flinch.

Monroe went toward Luke and Ulrich as they finished loading the truck. Ulrich could tell Monroe was angry and asked, "What's wrong?"

Monroe sighed and said, "Could you keep an eye on Clementine? I'm afraid of leaving her with Carlos and Nick around."

"Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?" Ulrich asked.

"It's nothing. I just need some space from Carlos." Monroe responded. Ulrich nodded and headed back to the cabin to have breakfast.

Alvin followed quickly behind and headed back for the cabin. Monroe got in the passenger seat and looked out the window as Luke started up the truck and headed for a fire pit that was used to discard the walkers.

The cab was silent until Luke said, "Listen, I know things are a little stressed in the group right now but…" Luke trailed off as Monroe stared at him. Luke sighed and continued, "…just don't leave, alright? I mean, we've become really dependent on you and Ulrich. And despite how nasty Carlos is, I'm kind of glad that you're dating Sarah. For a girl like her who has a condition, it's not easy to have a decent boyfriend, let alone a respectful and caring one."

Monroe jumped back from the speech and said, "Luke what made you think that Ulrich and I would leave?"

"Well, that Clementine girl, she was part of your old group, the group that was with your sister and Ulrich's girlfriend…" Luke trailed off again trying to think of what to say.

"I'm not leaving Luke." Monroe stated. "Carlos and Nick might be assholes and Rebecca might be a handful with her condition but that doesn't mean I am abandoning you. Besides, I'm not leaving Sarah behind, you know that."

"Thanks kid." Luke replied. The truck came to a halt as Luke and Monroe reached their fire pit location. The location had wood and gasoline ready for use with a large fire pit which held burnt wood and a few charred remains of dead walkers. Luke started the fire with Monroe handing him firewood; they soon had a decent fire. Luke kept putting the dead walkers into the fire as Monroe checked for company at the forest's edge. They soon finish and headed back to the cabin.

**Night Time**

Clementine's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the unfamiliar room. She got up and stretched. "I haven't slept on something this nice for a long time." Clementine remarked. She got off of the bed and headed for the door until the doorknob started to turn. She backed away as the door opened.

Monroe and Ulrich stared at the girl until Ulrich got down to Clementine's eye level and said, "You're awake. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm better." She suddenly felt her stomach growl and blushed. "I'm really hungry though."

"That makes sense." Monroe stated. "You've been out for almost a whole day." He then turned to Ulrich and said, "I'm going to go get some oatmeal ready for her." Ulrich nodded and Monroe went downstairs.

"How'd you sleep?" Ulrich asked.

"Really good." Clementine replied. "I haven't slept in a bed for a long time." Clementine then frowned and asked, "You and Monroe aren't mad at me and my group, are you?"

"Of course not." Ulrich said shocked to hear Clementine ask such a thing and he continued, "I wanted you guys to get out of there. You were getting surrounded and I was worried about you, Duck, Aelita, Odd, Yumi, and heck everyone."

"What about Monroe?" Clementine asked.

"With the exception of Lilly, Monroe doesn't seem to hold a grudge against anyone." Ulrich replied.

Clementine still looked down sadly and said, "I don't think everyone in your group likes me. Pete and Luke are nice. Carlos is okay. But Rebecca and Nick aren't too nice."

Ulrich chuckled and said, "They grow on you. I am not going to lie. Nick can be a bit of a…" Ulrich pondered for a better word than the vulgar one that he was thinking, "…a jerk." Still vulgar but it was better than the other word he was thinking. "Rebecca's really nice when you get to know her. She's been there for Sarah since the girl lost her mom."

Clementine perked up as she sniffed the air and smelled the sweet aroma of food, in particular oatmeal. "I never knew oatmeal smelled so good." Clementine said.

Ulrich smiled as he got back up and extended his hand. Clementine happily grabbed it and he led her to the stairs. "I bet anything smells good when you haven't eaten in a while." Ulrich said as he and Clementine descended from the stairs.

"Yeah, anything but broccoli." Clementine said.

Ulrich laughed at the girl's comment as the two reached the bottom of the stairs. They entered the kitchen and noticed that Carlos and Sarah were eating some oatmeal as Monroe poured some for Ulrich, Clementine, and himself.

"Ulrich, help me with this." Monroe said.

"Yeah." Ulrich said and he released Clementine's hand and said, "Go ahead and find a seat." Ulrich then walked over and helped Monroe with the bowls of oatmeal.

Clementine hesitantly walked to the table and looked shyly at the two. Carlos acknowledged her with a smile and nod but didn't really say anything. Sarah looked at the girl and smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Sarah."

"Hi, I'm Clementine." The young girl introduced herself.

"Are you feeling better?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, I'm just really hungry." Clementine replied as Monroe and Ulrich took their seat at the table.

Ulrich handed the bowl of oatmeal to Clementine and she happily accepted it. She started to eat as Carlos got up and said, "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too long, sweetie." Carlos said to his daughter.

"Okay dad." Sarah replied. Carlos went to the sink and washed his bowl out as the four kids enjoyed their meal.

Carlos left the room and Monroe immediately said, "Sarah, I'm sorry about earlier. I-"

"You're sorry?" Sarah asked. "Monroe, I was upset because my dad was being mean to you. None of it is your fault."

"It was our fault. We ignored the group decision." Ulrich said sadly.

"And if you wouldn't have done anything, I would have died." Clementine said.

"I don't know about the rest of the group, but I am really happy that you guys did what you did." Sarah said.

"Thanks Sarah. That means a lot." Ulrich said happily.

Sarah smiled but then yawned. She covered her mouth and said, "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit tired."

Luke entered the kitchen and said, "Sarah, what are you doing up this late?"

Sarah shrugged and said, "Don't worry Luke; I'm going to bed right now." Sarah got up and went to the sink to wash her bowl. Monroe got and went over to talk to Sarah.

Meanwhile, Luke took Sarah's seat and looked to Clementine's arm. "That's going to leave one hell of a scar."

"Better than losing it." Ulrich stated. Clementine jumped and shook slightly. "Hey, are you okay?"

Clementine hesitated and said, "I knew a friend who lost an arm once."

Ulrich was shocked and asked, "Was it someone in our group?" Clementine nodded sadly. Ulrich's eyes widened in fear, regretting that he asked. He was now concerned for Yumi. Was she the one who lost an arm?

"So, what happened to your family?" Luke paused as Clementine put the spoonful of oatmeal down and Luke elaborated, "I assume that what happened to them is that same that happened to everyone's parents. I mean you seem so young and I don't think you could have lasted out there as long as you did without help."

"There were people who took care of me, if that's what you're asking." Clementine said.

"I was just curious." Luke explained.

"Maybe this could wait." Ulrich said. "I mean she just woke up and this might not be something she wants to talk about."

"Normally, yes." Luke said. "But Rebecca's on edge and Nick…" Luke then trailed off and sighed.

"There was this man who found me a couple of days after everything happened. His name was Lee." Ulrich's eyes widened and Monroe stopped talking to Sarah. Sarah stared at him questioningly until she saw who he was focused on. "He took care of me and taught me how to survive. He and I found more people and Ulrich's and Monroe's group, but it didn't work."

"What happened to him?" Luke asked. All eyes were on Clementine as she looked down sadly.

"I killed him." Clementine said sadly. The survivor's guilt that the girl had was overwhelming. She had felt that Lee's death was on her hands from Savannah onwards, but it wasn't.

"Clem?" Ulrich said sadly trying to comfort her.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"I got taken in Savannah and he got bit searching for me." Clementine replied sadly.

"It's not your fault." Ulrich said. "Whoever took you is responsible, not you." However, Ulrich's words fell on deaf ears.

Sarah started sniveling from the story. Monroe looked at her and saw tears coming down her eyes. "I think I need to go and talk to dad." Sarah said. She felt guilty for being mad at her dad and she wanted to make amends.

Monroe nodded and said, "Of course." Monroe then hugged her and said, "Good night." Sarah could only snivel and she went to go find Carlos. Monroe joined Clementine at the table as Nick walked in.

He approached Clementine but Monroe glared at him and stood up to keep him away from the girl.

Nick looked remorseful and said solemnly, "Can I talk to her?"

"I don't know what you mean by talk." Monroe said coldly. "Last time, you were anywhere near her, you almost shot her."

"Hey man don't be like that!" Luke criticized Monroe.

"I'm with Monroe on this one. You've shown that you're way too dangerous." Ulrich said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Nick looked to Clementine and said, "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I went agro out there and that definitely was not cool."

"Nick has had moments where he goes off the deep-end. Don't hold it against him." Luke explained.

"You were just trying to protect your friends." Clementine said to Nick. "I get it."

Nick looked down almost ashamed of himself and said, "I didn't mean it to be like that. It's just… we've had a bad experience once."

"We've all had bad experiences, Nick, but we can't let that change us." Monroe said calmly. The icy cold tone in his voice was gone.

"Anyway, I'm hoping you can understand." Nick said as he looked to Clementine.

"I do. Yeah." Clementine replied.

Nick smiled and he left the room. Monroe looked shocked at Clementine and said, "That takes a lot of patience." Everyone looked at him for an explanation and he continued, "It's not easy to forgive someone who nearly put you six feet under."

Clementine's eyes widened when she realized that Monroe was talking about Lilly. Suddenly, Pete came in and said, "I'm standing watch out there and I can't help but think that this place is lit up like a beacon in the middle of the forest."

"Yeah, it's time to turn in." Ulrich said. "I'll take the couch tonight. Clem, you take my bed. If you need anything, Monroe will be in the bed next to you."

Clementine nodded and Luke, Ulrich, and Monroe went out of the kitchen. Pete approached the young girl. "I want you to come along and check the fish traps tomorrow with Nick and me. We could have a couple of fresh salmon for tomorrow."

Clementine nodded and Pete smiled. He went out the kitchen and let Clementine finish her oatmeal. She finished and headed for the door after rinsing off the bowl. The door swung open and in front of Clementine was Rebecca. She glared at the girl and asked somewhat nastily, "Oh you're still here?"

Clementine nodded her head slowly and backed away to let Rebecca through. Rebecca kept her glare and went to the sink to wash the dishes. Clementine, feeling the tension, started for the door but stopped when Rebecca said, "I wouldn't get comfortable here if I were you. You may have fooled the others but not me."

"Monroe and Ulrich want me to stay." Clementine said hoping that would change the woman's mind. It didn't.

"Good for them but we make decisions as a group, and you are really wearing out your welcome." Rebecca said as she approached the girl. She got in Clementine's face and continued to glare. "You got what you came for, now go."

Clementine looked away from the woman. For the first time in a long time, Clementine felt nothing but fear. "Look at me in the eyes when I'm talking to you." Rebecca snapped.

Clementine whimpered but obliged. "You better get a new act because that one will not work on me. I do not trust you and I will never trust you." Rebecca then left the scared girl. Clementine's legs wobbled from the sternness of the woman. Tears fell from her eyes, and she wanted to get to Monroe's room for safety. She blew out the candles and went into the living room. Ulrich laid on the sofa sleeping, unaware of what happened in the kitchen.

Clementine shakily climbed the steps and finally reached Monroe's room. She went through her backpack which was next to an empty bed and pulled out the elf-like doll, Mr. Puck. Ever since Aelita gave it to her, Clementine had kept it in her backpack ready for use if she ever felt scared or if she was having a bad day. She got in the bed and covered herself up and clutched the doll for security. Eventually, she stopped shaking and fell asleep.

**Morning**

Pete waited at the door for his lazy nephew and Clementine. Alvin and Rebecca were still asleep, Luke was just coming in from his shift of look out, and Monroe and Sarah were engaged in a game of chess where Monroe was getting beaten. Clementine went toward the front door while Ulrich got down to the girl's eye-level and said, "Here." Ulrich offered her his 8 mm handgun. "I cleaned it yesterday, so it shouldn't jam and there's a full clip in it." Clementine nodded and took the gun.

"Now hold on!" Carlos exclaimed as he approached the two from the kitchen. "I'm not letting her carry a gun."

"A gun is how we protect ourselves." Ulrich shot back as he got up. "What do you want me to do? Let her go out there unarmed."

"Yes." Carlos replied. "We can't trust her."

"Carlos for what it's worth, I trust her." Pete butted in.

Carlos grumbled angrily and sighed in defeat, "Fine, but she returns that gun immediately when she comes back." Carlos then stormed off back into the kitchen.

Pete smiled in victory and Ulrich looked to him. "Thanks, I don't think I would have gotten him to agree to let Clem carry a firearm."

"No problem." Pete said. He then glared toward the stairs and yelled, "Nick, are coming or not?"

Nick stumbled out of his room with his hunting rifle and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

"Alright, well, we'll be back." Pete announced.

"Be careful." Sarah said happily. Pete smiled and went out the door, followed by Clementine, and then Nick.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: If you're a Sarah hater, then I'm afraid you have come to the wrong fanfiction.**


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello guys, Q here. I'm going to put this message on all of my current works: I will be heading back to the college on August 25, 2014. That is when all updating will cease so I can focus on my classes. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

The morning sun crept along the sky as Pete and Clementine went through the woods. Clementine walked next to Pete and Pete smiled to the young girl. "How are you holding up?" Pete asked. "I heard that you got an earful from Rebecca last night. Once she gets going, there's no bringing her back. Her bark is worse than her bite."

"I know she didn't mean it." Clementine said. "She's just under a lot of pressure with the baby. I know that I would be."

Pete was surprised by the young girl's answer and said, "Does anything make you mad? I know that I would never let her get away with that."

"She scared me more than anything else." Clementine said. She then pondered on Pete's question and shrugged with a reply, "I don't think I could forgive someone for hurting my friends."

"Well that does make sense. I'd feel the same way." Pete replied as he and the young girl crossed over a door that acted as a bridge.

"How far are these fish traps?" Clementine asked.

"They aren't that much further." Pete replied. Pete then looked at the gun in the girl's hand and said, "I hope you know how to shoot. And I do mean shoot properly. Any idiot with a finger can shoot."

"Yeah, my friend Lee taught me." Clementine replied.

"Well good. It's important nowadays." Pete said as he walked through an opening in the fence. Clementine followed as Pete continued, "Nick was about your age first time I took him hunting." Pete stopped as he continued to explain the story. "We came across this beautiful 13-point buck just standing there on the ridgeline." Pete then brought the rifle up as a demonstration of Nick holding it and continued, "The boy takes up the rifle... lines up the shot just like I taught him… then I hear him start whinin. He turns to me and says, 'I can't do it. I can't shoot it Uncle Pete. Please don't make me shoot it.'"

"Aww… that's sad." Clementine said sympathetically.

"Hey!" Nick exclaimed as caught up with the two. "Why didn't you wait?"

"You want us standing around while you're pissing on a tree? You know where the river is boy." Pete said. He then turned to Clementine and continued with the story, "Anyway, I grab the gun out of his hand before the big buck runs off, when BANG! The gun fires. The boy nearly gut shot me. And of course the buck gets away."

Nick scowled angrily and exclaimed, "Why are you going and telling her this shit for?"

"Because you almost blew her face off yesterday. Seems relevant. Trying to let her know that it's nothing personal with you." Pete scolded Nick.

"Why are you always giving me a hard time?" Nick asked.

"Because you're always giving everyone else a hard time." Pete criticized.

"I apologized already. She accepted it." Nick said.

"Well okay, I didn't know that." Pete said.

Clementine didn't exactly care about the minor feud between the two and said, "I want to hear the rest of the story."

"You're always trying to embarrass me." Nick said angrily.

"You're doing a good enough job of that on your own." Pete shot back. Nick pushed Pete out of the way and started to leave the two. "Leaving us again." Pete snarled.

"I know where the freaking river is." Nick shot back and he left the two.

Pete shook his head, disappointed by Nick's attitude and said, "So, anyway… I came across that buck later that season. I shot it right in the neck. Brought it up to my sister's figurin she'd wanted to freeze some of the meat. Nick didn't speak to me for weeks. Sometimes, you got to play roll, even if it means the people you love hate you for it."

"He doesn't hate you." Clementine said.

"His father was an ass so I had to step up and become like a father for him. I couldn't be the nice Uncle Pete." Pete replied.

Suddenly, there was yell from Nick, "Uncle Pete!"

Pete ran for the river where Nick was. He was worried about Nick and said, "Nick?" When Nick finally came into view, Pete could see what frightened his nephew. "Jiminy Croutes." Pete said as he looked around the area. There were bodies everywhere along the river bank.

"Who could have done this?" Clementine wondered.

"Think about it. You're Carver, what do you do?" Nick said to his uncle.

Clementine turned to Nick and asked, "Carver? Who's Carver?" Both men ignored her and went to check a body.

"They're full of holes." Pete remarked. "Check these guys for ammo; we're running low. Also keep an eye and ear out for survivors."

Clementine went to one of the bodies which wore a distinguishable leather jacket that read, 'Plastic Toys' on the back. She looked him over and said, "This one's shot too."

Through the head?" Pete asked.

Clementine double-checked to make sure and said, "Yeah."

Nick came back over as Clementine and Pete got up from their observations. Clementine noticed the bank on the other side had bodies too. "There are more on the other side." Clementine said.

"This wasn't just your rinky-dink pissin match." Pete said

"What was it then?" Nick asked.

"FUBAR." Pete replied as he headed for the small island in the middle of the river.

"Where the f- are you going?" Nick exclaimed. "We need it get out of here now!"

"Got to check the rest." Pete said bluntly.

"No way! What for?" Nick exclaimed.

"Calm down and think about it son." Pete said as he crossed a shallow part of the river to get to the island.

"Calm down? We need to get out of here now!" Nick shot back.

"Nick's right. This doesn't look good." Clementine said as she kept her eyes trained on the forest's edge. She didn't want to get caught off guard.

"No it doesn't, but one of these folks might be alive and they might be able to tell us who did this." Pete said. Clementine sighed not liking how the situation was going, nonetheless she leapt from the bank to a large rock. "Nick, you stay over there and keep checking those bodies.

Nick anxiously looked behind to the forest and said, "This is a dumb idea."

"You know Nick, I don't like this either but sooner or later you're going to have to learn the simple truth." Pete said.

"What? That you're an asshole." Nick replied.

"That no one in this world is going to give a damn of whether you like something or not. You got to grow up son." Pete scolded.

"Whatever." Nick said angrily and he went back to checking the bodies for ammo.

"Come on, Clem." Pete said as he directed his attention to Clementine. "You want to be useful. Keep an eye out on that tree line. Whoever did this might still be around, waiting for another sucker…"

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Listen, just don't put yourself in danger, okay?" Pete continued. "You let me or Nick know if you see anyone that's not a lurker." Clementine nodded. Pete then noticed a walker that had a flagpole sticking out of its chest. "I hope this wasn't someone you knew." Pete said as he put his foot on the walker and took the flagpole out of its chest.

"Well, no." Clementine replied as she observed the walker.

"Good." Pete said as he killed the walker with the flagpole. Pete then looked up and noticed more bodies on the opposite shore. "Dammit, more on that side. I'll go check over there." Pete then left the girl as he went to check the bodies on the other side.

Clementine looked through the bodies to see if there was anything of use but there was nothing. Finally she went up to one of the bodies and gasped. It was one of the three scavengers that ambushed her and her group. She noticed that he had a bullet hole in his forehead, but was her group responsible for all of this? No, they couldn't be. They only killed if it was a necessary action. They would never do this.

"Ow!" Pete exclaimed. Clementine looked over to see Pete back away from a walker and fired with his hunting rifle.

"Uncle Pete!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Pete huffed. "I…I just lost my footing. Dammit… Dammit!" But Clementine could see what Nick couldn't. Pete was bit. It was over for him.

Suddenly, several walkers came out of the woods on both sides. "Shit lurkers!" Nick exclaimed as he started to kill walkers with his hunting rifle.

I'm out of ammo!" Pete exclaimed as he repeatedly pressed the trigger hopelessly.

"Come this way!" Nick yelled.

Pete didn't have as many to deal with but his bitten limp complicated his situation. "Son of a bitch... Dammit, you get your asses over here, the both of you."

"Come this way and I'll cover you." Nick exclaimed. Clementine looked back and forth but she knew that if she wanted to survive this experience she had to pick the person who could help her.

She ran over to Nick's side of the river bank. She was met by one walker but was killed immediately with the 8 mm handgun that Ulrich gave her. She, then, ran up to Nick.

His eyes widened when he saw her with him. "Nick!" Pete exclaimed.

"Uncle Pete!" Nick yelled back and he tried to shoot the walkers. Clementine brought the gun up but the gap between her and the walkers that were attacking Pete was too big. She needed a more accurate fire arm. As Nick squeezed the trigger he could hear the gun click. "Oh shit!" Nick exclaimed as the walkers finally managed to attack Pete. Pete screamed in pain as the walkers ate him.

Nick finally reloaded his gun and fired at the walkers. "Pete! No!"

"We have to go!" Clementine exclaimed. She was worried if there would be more walkers in the area and that she and Nick would be easily overpowered.

"You could have saved him." Nick argued. "How could you just leave him?" However, just as Clementine feared, the gunshots brought in several walkers. The two immediately ran into the woods. After running through the woods for a while, Clementine and Nick came upon a building. The two immediately rushed inside and leaned against the door to prevent the walkers from getting in. From outside several walkers banged and thrashed the door. Their growls and groans echoed from within the cabin as Clementine and Nick struggled to keep the door shut.

"Nick, please, find something." Clementine said. Nick left his side of the door leaving it vulnerable to the walkers outside. "Nick, what are you doing?" Clementine exclaimed in horror as he slowly walked away from the door.

Clementine quickly adjusted her body and leaned against both doors with her back but she was losing traction. Finally, Nick came back and shoved a wooden crate in front of the door while shoving the girl out of the way. Both got back and saw that the crate kept the door shut. Clementine huffed from the tenseness of the situation as Nick left and slumped into a chair staring indifferently at the opposite wall.

"I'm sorry about Pete." Clementine said. "I know that losing someone that close isn't easy."

"Whatever." Nick said coldly. "Why'd you leave my uncle?"

"Pete got bit." Clementine said sadly.

"What?" Nick asked

"He got bit. Back at the stream. He wasn't going to make it." Clementine explained.

Nick allowed himself to absorb the new information and looked back at the wall. Clementine also looked over to see if there was anything useful. The shed was a wreck. Shelves were full of tin pots and cardboard boxes.

"What should we do now?" Clementine asked.

"I don't care." Nick replied.

"Well, while we're stuck here, we should at least look around." Clementine said "Maybe we can find something to help us get out of here."

"Knock yourself out." Nick said.

Clementine eyed a still and went up to it perplexedly. "It's a still." Nick said to the young girl.

Clementine wasn't sure what a still was. She never came across one when she was with Jeremie and his group. "Okay, what's it for?"

"It's for making booze. But that rig ain't fit to piss in." Nick replied.

Clementine then glanced up and looked to see a window with several cracks in it. "Do you think that they will break through that window?" Nick didn't reply and instead just stared at the window. Clementine sighed and continued her search for anything that could be helpful. She went toward a shelf that was covered up by a piece of plywood. She moved it and found several glass jars

"What is that stuff?" Nick asked. "Let me see."

Clementine grabbed one of the jars and went to Nick. She handed him the jar and he opened it. He took a whiff and jerked back. He drank some and pounded the desk next to him and said, "Whiskey."

"Now what?" Clementine asked.

"Oh f- if I know. We wait I guess." Nick said and he drank some more whiskey. Clementine sat in front of the crate and after a while she fell asleep waiting and hoping that help would come.

**Back at the Cabin**

It had been hours since Pete, Nick, and Clementine went to check the fish traps. Everyone was getting worried especially Ulrich and Monroe. Suddenly Luke came in from keeping watch outside and yelled, "House meeting!"

Everyone within the house, except for Sarah, went into the kitchen. Alvin went up to Luke and asked, "Any sign of them?"

"Nah. We're going to have to go searching for them." Luke replied.

Carlos glared at Ulrich said, "I knew we shouldn't have trusted her with that gun. Now Nick and Pete might have paid for it."

"You gave that girl a gun?" Rebecca exclaimed angrily.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Ulrich exclaimed. "I gave her that gun so she could protect herself. She's not a murder!"

"Do not raise your voice at me!" Carlos snarled.

"Then don't make that accusation!" Ulrich snapped back.

"You both need to calm down!" Monroe said. "They could be in trouble right now!"

Luke got in between the feuding four and said, "Hey now, Monroe is right. Our friends could be in trouble right now. I wanted to see if anyone wanted to come with me."

"I'll go." Alvin said.

Rebecca lost her scowl entirely and pleaded, "Alvin, please."

"It'll be alright Bec. We'll find them and get back here as soon as possible." Alvin replied.

"We're coming too." Ulrich said. "We can't leave Clem out there."

"Alright, let's get ready and head out there." Luke said as he headed for the door.

"Give me and Bec a few minutes." Alvin said.

"Take your time." Luke replied. Meanwhile Monroe and Ulrich went to the living room. Ulrich strapped the harness that held his katana while Monroe picked up his halberd.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as she went up to Monroe.

"Nick, Pete, and Clementine haven't come back yet. We need to see if they're okay." Monroe explained. Sarah nodded understandingly. Suddenly Monroe kissed her and the two started to embrace each other. Ulrich smiled to see the two yet was also saddened; he was worried about Yumi. However, the moment stopped when Carlos went into the living room and cleared his throat. Monroe and Sarah stopped and looked over.

Carlos crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Monroe. "Luke is waiting for you two." Carlos snarled.

"Right, let's go." Ulrich said.

Monroe nodded and the two went toward the kitchen. However, Carlos stopped Monroe and said, "You stay away from my daughter."

Monroe glared at the man and said, "I respect your daughter, Carlos. If she wants me then that is her decision, not yours and not mine." Monroe then pushed the Spanish man out of the way and went into the kitchen to a waiting Alvin, Luke, and Ulrich.

"What's going on?" Luke asked noticing that Monroe was angry.

"Carlos is being a dick." Monroe muttered. "Come on we need to get going." Monroe went past Luke and he and Ulrich led the way to the river.

* * *

At the river, many dead walkers laid on the ground. They were all hacked and sliced to bits. One walker remained and Ulrich easily got rid of it with a slash of his katana. He then stopped and looked at an immobile walker in horror. It was Pete. "Shit." Ulrich drawled.

"What's wrong?" Monroe asked. He immediately regretted asking when he saw his former friend growl and snarl at the two. Monroe pulled out his revolver and clicked the hammer back on a loaded chamber.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you gonna to do?" Luke asked.

"We don't kill people we knew with melee weapons. We use a gun." Monroe explained.

"Yeah and by doing that you waste a bullet and bring lurkers to us." Luke shot back.

"Luke, he's right. Besides we need to get out of here. This is a f- massacre." Alvin said.

Luke sighed and said, "Alright."

Monroe looked toward Pete and had a look of remorse. "I know that you did everything you could to keep Nick and Clem safe. We'll find them, I promise." Monroe then squeezed the trigger and a loud boom echoed throughout the area.

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: Sorry that this one is short.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

It was night time and the full moon was out to create a dim light in the area. In the shed that Nick and Clementine were in, Clementine slept in front of a wooden crate that was used to keep the door shut until she heard the breaking of glass. She stirred in surprise and looked around to find the source until she could see Nick throwing another glass jar at the wall. Nick was in between two of the shelves now instead of in the chair and slumped to the ground. He threw another glass jar at the wall.

Clementine got up and looked towards the window as a walker passed by it. She didn't want the noise to attract any walkers and was afraid that it would. She slowly approached Nick as he threw three more empty glass jars. She got up to him and held her right arm, a nervous tick that she has always had. "You're scaring me." Clementine said.

Nick was about to throw another bottle but stopped himself and looked down sadly, "I had to kill my mom." Clementine's eyes widened in horror at the aspect of having to do such a thing. "It sounds weird when I say it out loud, huh? Luke always used to push me. I never wanted to go into business with him. I remember when he sold me on it. His big plan. Some freaking plan."

Clementine sat in front of Nick as he continued, "A case of beer in, he just said, 'Nick, we're burnin daylight.' And that was that." Nick then opened the jar of whiskey in his hand and said, "After six months, we were flat broke. But I didn't care; we were having fun." He then took a long drink and continued, "I wish that I was like him. I wish I could just keep moving all the time. But I'm just not… built like that. Everyone that I grew up with… it all happened to them." Nick took another drink and said, "And now it's going to happen to us."

Clementine shook her head and replied, "You're just drunk. We'll be okay, Monroe, Ulrich, Luke, they're going to find us."

Nick shook his head and said, "What's the point? We'll just march to some new place and somebody else will die. It's never going to stop and eventually, it'll be our turn."

"Don't say that." Clementine said sadly.

"Why? It's true, ain't it?" Nick shot back. Nick huffed and said, "I can't believe that we have been here for a day. A day! It has been a day right?" Clementine shrugged and Nick offered her some of the whiskey. "Here, kid. This'll be your first and your last drink."

"No thanks." Clementine replied and she got up.

Nick took a drink and said, "Listen, they're not coming for us. You should go. Run for it."

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Clementine asked.

"Stay here. I'm tired of running, of trying to stay alive, and of losing people." Nick replied.

"But you'll die here." Clementine said.

"Yeah, that's the point." Nick said.

"You can't just sit here and die. You still have people who care about you. What about Luke and everyone at the cabin. They're family to you. Nick, please, I need your help." Clementine said.

Nick sat their contemplating his options until he said, "You're right." He then took one last chug of the whiskey and got up unsteadily. "Now look, if we get separated, the cabin is only half a mile from here. You can't miss it." Clementine nodded in response. They approached the door and Clementine struggled to push the wooden crate away from the door. "Screw it." Nick said and he opened the door.

The two walked outside to see several walkers aimlessly limping around. None of the walkers had picked up on their scent. They slowly walked away from the cabin until a walker growled at them from behind. Nick heard it and immediately smashed the jar of whiskey over its head and exclaimed, "Ha! Screw you motherf-!" This attracted the walkers within the area and they started to growl at the two. "Oh shit…" Nick said as the walkers headed for them.

Suddenly, Nick jolted away from Clementine and exclaimed, "Hey! Over here!" He was getting the walkers attention so the girl could escape. "Come on, you f-! Look at me!" The plan was working. The walkers headed toward him and he looked over to Clementine, "Get the heck out of here!" Nick yelled to Clementine.

The girl hesitated for a moment but then ran to Nick and held his hand. She didn't want him to die for her. "I said get out of here." Nick said as he shoved her away. "I'm too drunk. I'm only going to slow you down." He then punched a nearby walker. "I'll be fine. Now go!"

Clementine nodded and ran from the area while dodging a couple of incoming walkers. She ran as hard as she could for the cabin and hoped that Nick would be alright. Meanwhile, Nick kept getting pushed back as more walkers came at him.

* * *

Clementine could finally see the cabin and she used her remaining energy to reach it. She huffed to catch her breath and went inside. She looked around the kitchen to find anyone and then heard a couple of chairs scoot back. "Clementine! Are you alright?" Carlos asked. "Luke's not with you?"

"Where's Alvin?" Rebecca exclaimed.

Clementine looked down sadly and shook her head. "What happened?" Carlos asked. "It has been hours. Where are they?"

"Clem?" Rebecca said approaching the girl.

Clementine looked up sadly recalling the events at the river and said, "We got attacked."

"By who?" Rebecca asked.

"Walkers." Clementine replied.

"Shit." Rebecca said panicking from the news.

"P-Pete got killed." Clementine said. Both adults jumped back in surprise and Clementine continued, "I was with Nick but…"

"Oh my gosh." Carlos said.

"Where were you? Where were you exactly?" Rebecca asked with a scowl.

"Down by the river." Clementine replied.

"Dammit, that's where they were going to check first." Rebecca said. "We got to go."

"Just hold on a minute." Carlos said.

"My husband is still out there!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Get the guns!"

Carlos was stunned for a moment but nonetheless ran for the living room to get into the storage closet for the guns and ammunition.

"Luke, Monroe, Ulrich, and Alvin went out looking for you. I told them not to go." Rebecca explained. "Dammit Luke."

Carlos returned with a hunting rifle and an 8 mm handgun and gave the hunting rifle to Rebecca. The two then started to walk out the door until Carlos turned to Clementine and said, "Clementine, can you and Sarah look out for each other while were gone. If anything happens to us, you two will have to take care of each other."

"Yeah, I can do that." Clementine replied.

"Good, thank you." Carlos said and he left.

Clementine left to go into the living room and tried to search for Sarah. Having no luck, Clementine went upstairs and opened the door to Sarah's room. "Say cheese." Sarah said followed by a flash of light. "I found this camera underneath the cabin with a bunch of other stuff." Sarah explained as the photo came out.

"That's so cool!" Clementine exclaimed. "I've never seen a camera like that before!"

"I know right!" Sarah exclaimed. She then handed the camera to Clem and said, "Here take a picture of me."

"Sure." Clementine said as she grabbed the camera and snapped a photo of Sarah. She took the photo and allowed the picture to develop.

Sarah looked over her and asked, "Hey where's my dad? And Monroe?"

"They'll be back. Don't worry." Clementine said.

However, Sarah sniveled and went toward the window and uttered an apology, "I'm sorry. I just… need a minute." She then sat on the ground and hugged her legs.

"Sarah are you okay?" Clementine asked as she got down on the ground with the girl.

"I-I-I just wish that they could trust me for once." Sarah said. Clementine's eyes widened. Despite the fact that Sarah was forced to stay in the house most of the time, she still knew what the world was like. "I don't know if my dad doesn't trust me or if they…" Clementine puts a supportive hand on her shoulder and she continued with more optimism, "You want to see what else I found under the house." She then went into her nightstand and pulled out a handgun. "There's no bullets left in it… Do you think you can teach me how to shoot?"

"Yeah, sure." Clementine said.

"Cool, thanks." Sarah then put her hands on the handle of the gun and looked at her elbows to make sure they weren't locked.

Clementine was amazed and asked, "How do you know how to do that?"

"Monroe taught me, but this is as far as I got." Sarah said. "My dad noticed him teaching me and confiscated the gun and yelled at Monroe. He also grounded me for two weeks; I was really mad at him then."

Clemetine chuckled and said, "Anyway, to aim, you line up the bead at the front of the barrel with the notch close to you."

"Okay, wow, easier than I thought." Sarah commented as she lowered the gun. "Thanks Clem."

"You're welcome." Clementine said.

"I wish I could return the favor." Sarah said.

"Well, you actually could." Clementine said. "Could you teach me how to play chess?"

"Of course!" Sarah said enthusiastically. The two then went downstairs to clear the board of the previous game.

From there Sarah taught Clementine the basics. Clementine quickly caught on and soon the two had a couple of games. Sarah knew Clementine wasn't a hardened pro like Monroe so she let the young girl win a couple of games. Both were having fun until there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, anybody home?" A man's voice echoed after a couple more knocks.

Sarah immediately started to hyperventilate and said, "Clementine, I-I think… I know that man. He can't see me. Y-You got to make him go away."

"Go and hide somewhere." Clementine said and she went to the door. Sarah immediately hid behind the couch.

Clementine almost got her hand on the lock when the door opened. She retracted her hand and saw an older man on the other side of the door. "Why, hello there. How are you?" The man asked generously.

Clementine didn't want to appear to be rude to the man and replied with, "Okay, how are you?"

"Just fine. Thanks for asking." The man replied. "My group and I are set up down near the river. I'm surprised that we hadn't ran into each other yet." The man said as he signaled down toward the river all the while getting his point across. He was subtly showing that he was armed and wasn't afraid of using the revolver. He smirked when he saw Clem's eyes widened and she backed away from him. He relaxed and said, "So what's your name?"

"I'm… Clementine." The girl responded.

"Well that makes sense. You look like a clementine." The man commented, "Won't mind if I come in Clementine?" The man then advanced into the cabin.

"I-I guess not." Clementine replied.

The man looked around the living room and said, "Well this is a nice place you got here. Anyone else around?"

"I'm part of a big group." Clementine said.

"Oh really? How big?" The man asked.

"Lots. They'll be back soon." Clementine replied with fear still evident in her features.

"And they left you, all alone. I mean you must be eight or nine." The man scoffed. "They must really trust you. Anyway, I'll cut to the chase. I'm out here looking for my people, nine of them to be exact." The man then described the people, "A couple of farm boys and an old man. A Spanish man and his daughter. A quiet girl, a lot taller than you. Her boyfriend, a grey haired boy with a scar along the right side of his face. Another boy with brown hair, usually carries a sword around. A big black guy, about this big." The man indicated with his hands and finished, "And a little, pretty, pregnant lady."

"That's a lot of people to lose." Clementine said.

"Tell me about it. This whole thing is a damn mess." The man complained. He then looked into the kitchen to see if anyone was inside. He then went inside. Clementine followed as the man looked around the kitchen. He finally went up to the sink and said, "Well it looks like a damn tornado ran through here. Must be close to ten people with you."

Clementine slouched against the countertop away from the man and replied, "That sounds about right. Yeah." She then noticed a sharp knife out of the corner of her eye.

"Just passing through or have you been here for a while?" The man asked. "Listen kid, I'm hoping that you aren't going north and hoping to find Shangri-La. I'm not sure why you would go anywhere after finding this place."

"My group and I just found this cabin recently." Clementine lied.

"A whole lot of people are heading north recently. I don't even know why." The man said.

"Have you ever been up north?" Clementine asked curiously.

"Nah, I figured there's nothing up there, just like there is nothing down here." The man replied.

Clementine eyed the knife again. She felt nervous having it out especially with the man near it. She wasn't sure what he was capable of. The man followed her line of vision and went to the knife. He picked it up and Clementine jumped when he faced her. "Where does this go?"

"Over there." Clementine shakily pointed to the drawer. The man puts the knife back in the drawer and Clementine breathed a sigh of relief.

The man left the kitchen and went into the living room. "Well this is a real nice place." He said as Clementine followed him. "Kind of cozy." He then looked to the couch and said, "I knew a man who always wore shirts like this. He was a smart and crafty son of a gun."

"What happened to him?" Clementine asked.

"He betrayed me. People will always find one or more reasons to cross you. It happens all the time." The man said. Clementine nodded understandingly. She knew that first hand when the Stranger abused her trust and kidnapped her.

"Uh oh. White's in trouble." The man snapped Clementine out of her thoughts and he continued, "Three moves away from checkmate."

"Yeah, I'm not really good with chess. I was playing with my… sister." Clementine said.

The man smirked and asked, "Sister, huh? What's her name?"

"Aelita." Clementine replied.

The man scoffed and he perked up. He went toward the stairs and looked up to the second story as a door slammed shut. He looked back to the girl and said, "I thought you said there was nobody here."

"It might have been just the wind." Clementine said.

The man was unconvinced and pulled out his revolver. He headed up the stairs while Clementine stared on in horror. The man reached the top of the stairs and opened the door to Sarah's room. Clementine quickly followed in and looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief, not seeing Sarah. "I told you. No one's here." Clementine said.

"Seems that way." The man scoffed as he went to the window and holstered his gun. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just couldn't leave you here with a good conscious knowing that someone could be skulking around."

"Sure." Clementine said.

The man went to leave the room until he saw something and picked up the photo that Clementine took of Sarah. He got up and smirked. "Who is this?" The man asked as he showed the photo to Clementine.

"It must have been someone who used to be here." Clementine replied.

"Must be." The man said as he scowled at the girl.

Clementine stood nervously in front of the man, once again holding her right arm. The man had her figured out and said, "You have no idea who these people are, do you?"

Clementine knew the façade was up and said, "A couple of them are my friends."

"Yeah, well how much they trust you?" The man asked.

"What's your point?" Clementine asked.

"If they don't trust you, how can you trust them?" The man inquired. The man looked around satisfied and said, "Well I think that I have bothered you enough today. I can let myself out." The man went past Clementine and headed out the door from Sarah's room.

Clementine walked to the edge of the stairs as the man reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why shouldn't I trust them?" Clementine asked.

"You have a real good day, now." The man replied as he ignored her. He then went out the front door. Clementine peered through the upstairs window as Sarah wrestled her way out from underneath the bed.

"Where is he?" Sarah asked as she approached Clementine.

"He's gone." Clementine said as she looked out the window.

"What if he comes back?" Sarah asked. Clementine looked to Sarah and shrugged sadly, not knowing what to do.

**2 Hours Later**

Clementine and Sarah sat on the couch impatiently waiting for the group to return. They had to get out of the house. That man will return any minute now. "We need to find the others." Clementine said abruptly and walked to the kitchen door.

"We can't go outside." Sarah said.

Clementine went into the kitchen to be greeted with the door opening. "Clementine!" Luke said happily.

"Sarah!" Carlos exclaimed as he and his daughter hugged each other.

Ulrich got in front of Clementine and got down to her height and hugged her. "Hey, we missed you. Are you okay?" Ulrich then released her as Clementine nodded.

"You know where Nick is, right? We need to go out and find him." Luke said.

"A man was here." Sarah confessed.

"What?" Carlos exclaimed.

"What did she say?" Rebecca asked.

"Someone came to the cabin… Clementine talked to him." Sarah said.

"…And you just opened the door for him?" Rebecca inquired as she scowled at Clementine.

"Rebecca calm down." Luke said.

"Calm down? I am calm! You calm down!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Clementine didn't respond. Rebecca's scolding and sternness from the night she was with the group had left her terrified of the woman. She was shaking slightly showing how scared she was of the woman.

"I told you not to open the door for anyone." Carlos scolded the girl. "Did he say what his name was?"

"Maybe it wasn't him." Rebecca said.

"You know damn well who it was." Alvin said angrily.

"If you would all just shut up for one second and notice that you're overwhelming her, maybe we could get somewhere!" Monroe snapped at the group, excluding Sarah. He crouched down in front of the girl and took her hands supportively and repeated the questions with a calmer and nicer tone. "Did you ask this man what his name was?"

"I…I was too scared. He had a gun and I didn't want to make him mad." Clementine replied.

"Okay, did he look older, had a gruff and scratchy voice?" Monroe asked calmly. Clementine nodded and Monroe huffed, "That's not good."

"Who was that man?" Clementine asked as Monroe got back up and his hands went back down to his side.

"His name is William Carver." Ulrich said. "He is very dangerous and very clever. We were lucky to escape from him the first time."

"Well, what do you think?" Luke asked. "Did it look like that he was coming back?"

"He saw a picture of me." Sarah said.

"A picture?" Carlos bellowed. "What were you doing taking pictures?"

"Carlos!" Luke yelled.

"What?" Carlos inquired.

"You need to calm down." Luke said calmly. "You're scaring your daughter."

"I took the picture. It's my fault." Clementine confessed.

"No, I asked her to. It's my fault." Sarah said.

"Sarah…" Carlos said disappointedly. He balled up his fist and tried to think of what to do.

"We knew this day was going to happen. The best thing we can do now is pack light and leave this cabin." Ulrich added his input.

Alvin stomped out of the room with Rebecca chasing after him. "Alvin wait." Rebecca said trying to catch up with the man.

"You're right." Carlos said to Ulrich and then turned to Sarah and put a supportive hand on her shoulder and said, "We have to leave now Sweetie before he shows up with more bad guys."

"What does he want?" Clementine asked.

"To take us back to his community." Monroe replied. "Come on. We better get packed up and ready to go. The sooner we leave this cabin, the better." He then left the room with Clementine in tow.

The group rushed out the door with Luke leading the way. They had to find Nick but that would be a challenge, even with Clementine helping them. "So it's up here?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, just a little ways." Clementine replied.

"Hey Clem." Rebecca said as she approached the young girl. She flinched in response and quickened her pace. She was still scared of the woman. "Oh honey, please, let me talk to you." Clementine's eyes widened and she slowed down to allow the woman to catch up. She could tell that the woman wasn't hostile but Clementine was still nervous. Rebecca frowned and said, "I'm sorry about what I said back there. I guess it was a combination of hormones and fear. I thought you were with Carver, but I was wrong." Rebecca hung her head sadly.

Clementine glanced back and noticed how sad Rebecca was and looked to her, "It's alright. You were just trying to protect your family."

Rebecca smiled to the girl and said, "I know you probably need a little while to forgive me but I just wanted to get started."

"So, are you excited?" Clementine asked optimistically.

"Excited for what?" Rebecca asked.

"For the baby." Clementine chimed.

"Yeah and scared and nervous, I'm just not sure but I'll be happy when she gets here or he if Alvin gets his wish." Rebecca said, "We still don't know what to name him or her." Rebecca continued but Clementine wandered off ignoring the woman as she went to a familiar building. "Clementine… Clem?"

"This is the place." Clementine said as she approached the shed.

"Alright. Everyone stand back." Monroe said as he and Ulrich leaned against the door. Monroe gestured with his hands and the two teen opened the door hastily. Once inside, Ulrich unsheathed his sword in preparation for any walker. Monroe held his halberd in a thrusting position until he noticed a body on the floor. He dropped the weapon and squatted down shaking the body, "Nick, Nick, are you alright?"

Nick grunted and said, "I've got… the most killer headache I have ever had." Monroe puts his hand to Nick's forehead and sighed.

"What is it? It's not a lurker bite, is it?" Carlos asked.

"No, just a hangover." Monroe said as took his backpack off. He then brought out his first-aid kit and gave Nick two pills and a water bottle. "Keep that water bottle. You need to stay hydrated and flush out that alcohol." He then got up and Luke took over.

"Come on, give me your hand." Luke said and Nick grabbed his hand.

"Pete's dead, man." Nick said sadly.

"I know man; Monroe and Ulrich found him." Luke replied as he supported his friend. "Listen, while you were gone, Carver came to the cabin. We need to move." Nick nodded and Luke helped him out of the cabin.

The group got back onto the road and they continued their trek through the woods. Nick approached Clementine from behind and said, "Hey Clem, thanks for not giving up on me."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry about Pete." Clementine replied.

"Yeah." Nick replied sadly and his pace slowed heavily. Clementine and Luke watched him as he went to the very back of the group.

"What, uh, happened back there?" Luke asked. "Did Nick do something stupid?"

"He got drunk." Clementine said. "He was really depressed after Pete died."

"Hm… I'm still worried about that kid. You won't mind keeping an eye on him for me?" Luke asked.

"I guess not." Clementine said not fully convinced that she could take care of an adult.

"Anyway, you still glad that you came with us?" Luke asked. "I know that you don't have much of a choice. I mean now that Carver has seen you, it would be safer if you come with us."

"Yeah, I'm with you guys." Clementine replied and she looked to the front of the group where Ulrich and Monroe led the way. "Besides, I'm not going to leave my friends."

"That's good." Luke said. "We're happy to have you."

"Not everyone." Clementine said as she looked behind to see Alvin, Rebecca and Nick.

"Don't worry, they'll get there." Luke said. He then pulled out a map and said, "I figured we got 4 or 5 days until we reach those mountains."

"5 days?" Rebecca exclaimed.

"It's going to be okay Bec." Alvin said reassuringly.

"We'll take breaks as needed." Monroe said trying to calm Rebecca's nerves.

"I agree." Carlos said.

"Now, I'm thinking they're going to cut through the area. So the bridge is our best bet." Luke said and he folded up the map.

**5 Days Later**

The bridge was finally in sight. "Someone is going to need to get up on that rock and take a peek. So that we know what to expect." Luke said.

"I'm not doing that." Ulrich said in a matter-of-factly tone. "Heights and I don't get along too well."

"Well the way I see it is that we only need to send someone small and easy to lift onto that rock." Luke said as he eyed Clementine.

Clementine got the hint and nodded. Luke got her on his shoulder and started to help her up the rock. She grunted and struggled to climb until she was on top. "Okay, I'm up." She then pulled out her binoculars and scanned the area. "There's a huge building on the top of the mountain." Clementine said.

"That's probably the ski lodge that were aiming for." Luke said. "See anything else?"

"I see a lift of some kind."

"A ski lift probably." Alvin said. "Bec and I went on once."

"It wasn't pretty." Rebecca chuckled.

"I never been skiing." Clementine said sadly.

"Trust me, it's overrated." Monroe said.

"You went skiing before?" Sarah asked enthusiastically.

"Not exactly. I tried to go skiing but it turned into falling on my face down a mountainside." Monroe replied.

"Aww… I hope you were okay." Sarah said sympathetically.

"Don't worry baby, I was lucky. I just got banged up." Monroe replied.

"You sound like you went through a worse trip than me." Rebecca chuckled.

"Oh yeah, Odd gave me all the juicy details when they got back at the lodge. Of course, Jeremie and Aelita were scared to death for him." Ulrich said.

"By far, that was the dumbest thing I've ever did." Monroe said.

Clementine then said, "I see the bridge and there's a house next to it."

"How big is the house?" Carlos asked.

"It's really small." Clementine replied. "I'm coming down. Can someone catch me?"

"I'll catch you." Luke said. Clementine slowly got to the edge of the rock and sighed. She then pushed herself off of the edge. Luke caught her and said, "See? I told you that I would catch you, kid."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Carlos asked. "Let's move."

"Now, hold on. We can't just go across that bridge all at the same time." Luke said.

"What did you have in mind?" Carlos asked.

"Clem and I can scoot across that bridge low and slow and make sure it's safe to cross." Luke said.

"Hold on." Carlos said. "Clementine, she's… just a…"

"She's what Carlos?" Luke asked.

"She's just a little girl." Carlos said.

"She's a valuable little girl." Luke shot back.

"If she's so valuable, why are you putting life on the line?" Ulrich asked.

Luke glared at Ulrich and said, "You and Monroe, of all people, should know what she's capable of."

"It's not a question of capability that were worried about, Luke." Monroe said. "You and Clem have little to no combat experience with each other. You don't know each other's strengths and weaknesses, thus you can't counteract them. Ulrich and I do though. We've fought alongside each other for a long time so we know how to counteract for each other's weaknesses. We're going."

Luke sighed and replied, "Alright."

Sarah went up to Monroe and kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful."

"Ulrich and I have been through worse. Just stay close to your father and Ulrich and I will signal when it's all clear." Monroe said. He then hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Clementine, you stay close to Luke, okay?" Ulrich said to the young girl.

"Yeah, okay." Clementine said with a nod.

Ulrich and Monroe nodded to each other and headed down the path. "I'll cover you guys." Nick said.

They both stopped and Monroe said, "We'll be fine." The two then went down toward the bridge.

* * *

Along the way, Monroe looked to Ulrich. "What's up?" Ulrich asked.

"We need to tell them." Monroe said. Ulrich looked at him questioningly. "We have to. Sarah and I are getting close and it will only be a matter of time till she confronts me about my past. I can't lie forever."

"Last time, we tried this, you got shot." Ulrich replied.

"You're right, but sometimes, you got to take that risk." Monroe said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Monroe, they put a ten year old in a shed to die because they thought she was bit by a walker." Ulrich stated. "Imagine what they would do to us."

"They were scared, Ulrich. They didn't know Clementine. Did they react in the right way? Absolutely not, but we now trust them enough to look after the youngest member of our group. Additionally, Pete died without knowing who we were and what we did." Monroe replied sadly.

Ulrich sighed trying to decide what to do until Monroe said, "We got company."

…**To be Continued**

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for an amazing summer. This is the last chapter before I go back to college. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has stayed with this fanfiction up to this point and I want thank anyone who has reviewed. See you all in December.**


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: I decided that torturing you with this crossover couldn't wait till December.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners**

Ulrich and Monroe squatted down behind a rock for cover as they spotted two walkers. Monroe assessed the situation noticing that one must have been legless since it wasn't moving and it was significantly shorter than the other. The other walker aimlessly limped around the entrance of the bridge. "Okay, I got better leverage than you. I take the big one and you can take small fry."

"Deal." Ulrich said and he slowly approached the shorter walker as Monroe did the same with the mobile and taller walker. Monroe then whirled his halberd back and use axe portion of it to kill his walker. Meanwhile, Ulrich sliced the top of his walker's skull.

"Let's move." Monroe said and the two moved across the bridge. "Careful, the wood here is corroded to hell." Monroe stated observantly. Two walkers on the bridge took notice of the two and headed towards them. Monroe approached them with his halberd in a thrusting position but then the obvious sound of breaking wood could be heard underneath his feet.

"Monroe!" Ulrich exclaimed as the wood finally gave way and Monroe yelped. However, Monroe quickly reacted by slashing his halberd into a part of the wood that was still intact to prevent him from falling.

"It's alright, Ulrich. I'm fine." Monroe huffed as he struggled to pull himself up. Monroe then turned to Ulrich who offered his hand to help him. However, Ulrich didn't notice a walker behind him. "Ulrich, behind you."

"Oh shit." Ulrich said as he finally noticed the creature. He proceeded to slash the walker's leg off and then stabbed the creature in the head. The walkers that were in front of him and Monroe earlier went around the gaping hole in the bridge and headed toward Ulrich simultaneously. Ulrich sliced one in half and stabbed the other to prevent it from biting at him. The walker that was cut in half crawled towards Ulrich as he struggled with the other walker.

The walker that was impaled by his sword growled and snapped at him until a spearhead protruded from its face and it fell limp. Ulrich took his sword out of the creature and sliced the crawler to finish it off.

He turned around and saw Monroe taking his halberd out of the walker's skull and huffed, "Thanks."

"No problem." Monroe said. "Reminds me of the old days."

The two slowly walked towards the end of the bridge as Ulrich said, "You didn't save me that many times in Lyoko."

"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that." Monroe said.

"You wouldn't have saved me that many times, if it wasn't for your ability." Ulrich said.

"Hey you had three abilities. I only had one." Monroe argued.

"Yeah but that one you did have was probably the best one you could get. Seriously, Berserker made you four times stronger, twice as fast, gave you a projectile, and you were invincible." Ulrich said.

"Yeah for only a minute at the most." Monroe said but then he stopped Ulrich and said, "You see him." Ulrich nodded as he could see a man armed with a hunting rifle coming towards them. Monroe pondered the best choice of action as the man got closer to the two and finally said, "You talk to him."

"What, why me?" Ulrich asked.

"Because, he is less likely to shoot a fifteen year old teenager than a sixteen year old teenager." Monroe replied. "If anything I wish Clementine would have come with us. This guy would probably be less likely to shoot at us with her around."

"Yeah and then you put your half-sister at risk." Ulrich shot back.

"Yeah you're right about that." Monroe said. "I guess this is for the best."

"Well who are you?" The man shouted.

"I'm Ulrich and this is Monroe." Ulrich shouted back.

"Ulrich and Monroe!" The man shouted to give their names a try. He then got closer to them and said, "You don't look like assholes. Are you assholes? No offense or anything… it's just… you know how it is?"

Ulrich was about to respond when Monroe yelled back, "Which kind of asshole, the annoying kind or the dangerous kind? Because Ulrich does a good job at being the annoying kind."

The man laughed as Ulrich elbowed Monroe in the side. Monroe replied with grunt of pain. "I like that; that was good." The man said as he approached the two. "You two heading up north like everyone else?"

"Everyone else?" Monroe asked.

"Yeah there's at least one group a day that passes through here to go up north." The man replied. "It's like the great migration of the dazed and the confused."

"Have you seen a group of teenagers recently? The leader is a blond genius." Ulrich asked.

"There is also a girl in that group that has pink hair. She's my sister." Monroe added.

"You know? Now that you mention it… there was…a…" The man squinted his eyes as if he saw something in the distance. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "What the hell, man?"

Ulrich and Monroe turned around and saw Nick running towards them with his hunting rifle in hand. "What in the world is he doing?" Monroe asked.

Nick then aimed his hunting rifle at the man. The man responded by raising his as Monroe exclaimed, "No, no, no. He's with us." Monroe turned to Nick and yelled, "Nick, no!" He waved his arms in a pattern.

"Put it down." The man shouted.

"Don't shoot!" Ulrich exclaimed to both men.

"Dammit, get down!" Monroe exclaimed, and he pushed Ulrich to the ground. A gunshot rang out and the two looked up and saw the man was shot in the throat. He clutched his throat as blood spewed out but then tripped over the bridge into the water below.

Monroe seethed and walked towards Nick with Ulrich following behind. "Did I hit him? Where is he?" Nick asked.

"Why did you shoot?" Monroe bellowed.

"What? Who was that guy?" Nick asked.

"He was going to help us." Ulrich said angrily. "He knew where our old group was."

"Dammit Nick! I was telling you not to shoot!" Monroe shouted.

"How was I supposed to know?" Nick shot back. "You gave me a clear shot."

"That shot rang out for miles." Ulrich scolded him. "We need to get off this bridge." Ulrich and Monroe then turned around and they headed for the end of the bridge. Behind them was Nick, followed by the rest of the group.

They finally reached land and Rebecca asked, "Who the f***… was that back there?" She went over to a log and sat down feeling winded as Clementine looked to her worriedly.

"That asshole drew on me." Nick argued. "He was about to shoot."

"Oh really? Because what I saw was you drawing on him first." Monroe said angrily.

"Everyone calm down." Clementine said.

"Ulrich, what did you see?" Alvin asked.

"He was going to help us. Then smartass shot him." Ulrich replied as he glared at Nick.

Nick glared back and exclaimed, "I know what I saw!"

"Either way, you could have hit one of us!" Monroe shouted.

"Yeah but I didn't." Nick said.

Monroe seethed and yelled back, "It's only a matter of time till you do! And I'd dammed if it's me! I am NOT getting shot again. Have ever been shot before, let alone in the freaking head? It is not pleasant! And my sister thinks I'm dead because I got shot by some freaking bitch!" Monroe sighed and shook his head, "I need some space." He walked away and leaned against the side of the cabin. Sarah looked at him sadly and walked over to Monroe. Nick looked stunned by the teenager's outburst and went to sit down.

"Ulrich, do you think he was with Carver?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know. I… No, I don't think so." Ulrich replied. "He fell off the bridge so it doesn't matter."

"He fell off the damn bridge?" Luke asked. Ulrich nodded.

"We have to keep moving." Carlos said.

"I can't. I need a minute." Rebecca said

"Fine." Carlos said and he stared at Nick. "Luke, I need a word with you, alone." Luke nodded and the two adults walked over to some nearby brush away from the rest of the group.

Alvin walked to Ulrich and Clementine and asked, "Hey, Ulrich, Clementine, do you two have anything to eat? Bec's dying over here."

"Alvin, I told you I'm fine." Rebecca said.

"Sorry, I'm out." Clementine said.

"Yeah, I don't have anything either." Ulrich said. Then an idea hits him. "That station must be where that man lived. I'd imagine he would have something in there for us to eat."

"Give it a try." Alvin said and he went over to sit next to Rebecca. Ulrich and Clementine nodded and they went into the building.

Inside, there was a cot, with some empty cans near it, a radio and a trunk at the foot of the bed. Clementine went up to the radio and tried to get a signal. "Anything?" Ulrich asked.

Clementine shook her head and said, "Nothing. The battery is dead."

Ulrich sighed but then he eyed something. He approached the object which was a hunting knife that was engraved with the initials: MW. He picked it up and checked the blade. "What are you thinking?" Clementine asked.

"This knife seems strong and sturdy." Ulrich replied. He then eyed the trunk and went to it. He placed the knife in between the locking mechanism and shifted his body weight to break the lock open. It snapped open and he put the knife away. "Alright, we're in." Ulrich said and he looked into the trunk. There were only two large cans of peaches and a huge stack of comic books. "Holy shit." Ulrich said. "And I thought Odd's collection of comic books was outrageous." Clementine picked up one of the can and looked at it as Alvin entered the room.

"Man and I thought we had it bad. Look at this dump." Alvin said.

"It gets worse." Ulrich scoffed. "There is a small library of comic books in the trunk."

"Geez…" Alvin said. He eyed the other can in the trunk and picked it up. "Man, screw Nick. Nick's lost a lot of his people but that doesn't mean he can just go around shooting up strangers."

"He was trying to help us." Clementine said.

"I'm sorry Clem but Alvin's right. Nick is out of control." Ulrich said. "He killed that man for no reason, and he almost shot me and Monroe."

Clementine looked down sadly and said, "I know."

Alvin smiled as he looked at the can of peaches and said, "That's funny she looks just like you." Alvin then showed the can to Clementine so there could be a comparison. "Hey, there's not a lot of food here and Rebecca well… she's eaten for two now. You think you can just keep this between us?"

"Rebecca can have it. I won't say anything." Clementine said.

"Same here." Ulrich added.

"Thank you, both of you." Alvin said. Alvin then went to the window and looked out to Nick. "It's a shame. Nick was a good guy; he still is a good guy. He's just losing it." Alvin then looked over to his young companions and continued, "I'm happy that you two are with us."

"What about my half-brother?" Clementine asked.

"Trust me, without Ulrich or Monroe we wouldn't have lasted as long as we have." Alvin said. He then went to the window to check on Rebecca but then he saw a herd of walkers coming toward the group.

Outside, Carlos looked to the herd and said, "Oh no. We have to move now!"

"I'll go help Rebecca." Luke said.

"Sarah, time to move!" Carlos exclaimed and he rounded the corner to see his daughter and Monroe separating from a kiss. "What are you two doing?"

"Dad… we just needed-" Sarah tried to explain but Carlos interrupted her. "Explain later. We need to go."

Sarah and Monroe nodded and got up to be joined by the rest of the group. They quickly fled up the mountain in hopes of avoiding the herd. Eventually the herd was out of sight and the group could see the ski lodge getting bigger, however, the sky was getting darker which indicated a storm was heading for them.

* * *

They were finally at the ski lodge. Rebecca huffed as she climbed the mountain to its summit. Meanwhile, Carlos and Nick looked across the walkway of the lodge. "Well? What are we waiting for?" Rebecca asked as she approached the two men.

"We have to be careful." Carlos said.

"Careful? We've been on the road for 5 days." Rebecca responded. "My back is done being careful."

Alvin walked down the walkway examining the windows and said, "It doesn't look like anybody is home." He looked at one of the fortified windows and pulled on it. "No good." Alvin said. "Nailed down tight." Alvin then got up and walked towards the entrance. "I'll check around front."

"I'll go with you." Carlos said as he followed his ally.

The other members of the group stayed behind. Nick was antsy and looked around with his hunting rifle at the ready. Rebecca and Sarah were the opposite. Both were exhausted by the day's walk and sat down. "You alright?" Monroe asked Sarah.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Sarah said.

"Hey Monroe, come over here." Ulrich said.

Monroe sighed and said, "I'll be back."

"I'm looking forward to it." Sarah replied.

Monroe got up and went to Ulrich and Clementine as Luke came up to the three. "Well it'd be good to know if anybody is back there following us." Luke said. "Could probably get a better view from up top." He then looked to Clementine and said, "You'd have an easier time getting up there. Feel like taking a look?"

"Sure." Clementine shrugged. The four then headed toward the pole and Clementine looked up. She felt nervous for having to climb something so high.

"Don't worry." Monroe said supportively. "Just take it slow and I'll catch you if you fall." Clementine nodded and started to climb the ladder.

"We've done more risky things than this back at you know where." Monroe said to Ulrich while forgetting that Luke was behind them.

"You know where? What are talking about?" Luke inquired.

Clementine then slipped on one of the rums. She yelped and gripped the ladder tightly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Monroe said hastily. "You're alright. You can do this."

"I know I'm alright." Clementine snapped back.

Monroe smiled and said to Ulrich, "She's definitely Aelita, all over." Ulrich grinned back.

"Made it." Clementine yelled as she reached the top of the lift and a crow flew off. She took the binoculars from her backpack and looked through them.

"See anything?" Ulrich asked.

"I... I think I see lights." Clementine replied.

Suddenly the group was clustered around the middle of the walkway with inaudible yelling, "Ah, shit." Ulrich said. Luke then went to the direction of all the yelling. "Luke?" Ulrich said in vain to stop the man but it was useless, Luke went over to the crowded group.

"Clementine, climb down!" Monroe said. Clementine obliged and started to climb down the ladder. "Ulrich, go see what's going on. Clem and I will catch up with you."

Ulrich nodded and he went to the clustered group with his hand over his katana. "Listen, everyone. Just stay calm." Luke said.

"Who are you? Are you trying to rob us?" An Indian-American woman asked.

"Excuse me, honey, but do I look like a freaking thief?" Rebecca snapped.

"Everyone just stay calm." A plump man in a red sweater said.

"Hey man, you calm down." Alvin shot back.

"Sarah get behind me." Carlos said.

"Explain yourselves now? Who are you?" A boy's voice spoke. Ulrich shot up and brought his hand down to his side; he couldn't believe who he just heard. The voice belonged to Jeremie! Ulrich pushed his way through his group trying to see if it was indeed Jeremie and hopefully the rest of the group.

"We ain't here to rob anybody. Now put the gun down man." Alvin said.

"Screw that." A man said. His voice was also familiar. Sounded like a redneck's voice, Kenny's voice.

Ulrich finally managed to push his way through as Kenny, Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, William, and Yumi stood in front of the group; Kenny had his hunting rifle at the ready. They then saw him and were shocked. "Yumi!" Ulrich said as he pushed past Luke and looked at the girl.

"Wait, you know these people?" Luke asked.

"Ulrich?" Yumi said tearfully and the two embraced each other. Both had tears coming down their faces as they enjoyed each other's embrace. They released and looked at each other happily.

"Hey, good buddy." Odd said as he approached Ulrich.

"Odd!" They both shook hands and did a quick hug. "Man, I missed you guys." Ulrich said.

William approached him sadly and said, "Hey man, I'm sorry about…" William tried to apologize.

"Don't be." Ulrich said. "You guys had to get out of there."

"K-Kenny." Clementine's voice said as she saw the man.

"Clementine...?" Kenny said shocked but happy to see the girl.

Clementine hugged the man and he hugged her back. They released and looked at each other happily.

Aelita approached Clementine and got to the girl eye level and said, "We were worried about. Are you okay?"

Clementine nodded but then the Lyoko Warriors would receive one more surprise. Jeremie's eyes widened as a boy approached behind Clementine. Aelita looked to Jeremie questioningly but was answered when she turned around to see what Jeremie was looking at. Her eyes widened when she saw her brother behind Clementine. "Hey A." Monroe said. All at once, Aelita got up and cried into his chest, "It's okay, A." Monroe said as tears came down his eyes. He rocked as she sobbed into his sweater. "Sh… it's okay."

"Holy shit!" Kenny said shocked. "You're alive?"

Monroe smiled to Kenny in response and said, "Yeah, some way or another."

After a few minutes, Aelita was finally able to let go of her brother and said, "I'm sorry. If I would have known that you were alive…"

"I was in shock at that point, so you couldn't have known. I'm just glad that I have you back." Monroe said happily.

"Let's talk inside." Kenny said.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Carlos asked.

"It's going to storm soon." The plump man said. "Please come in"

* * *

The group headed in with Kenny, Walter, and Clementine talking at the top of flight of stairs. As they entered the building, Ulrich and Monroe were amazed by the lights that ran from the columns. Plus there was a Christmas tree that was nearly decorated near the fireplace. "This is nice." Ulrich said.

"Please make yourselves at home. You can leave your things over there." Walter said as he gestured to an empty bench.

"The hell we will." Rebecca shot back.

"Yeah, I'm holding onto my rifle, thanks." Nick said.

"The hell you're holding onto it." Ulrich snapped. "I haven't forgotten that you almost shot me and Monroe today."

"He what?" Yumi exclaimed.

"Hey, when are you going to let that go man?" Nick snapped.

"How about an ultimatum?" Jeremie said. "Everyone leaves their weapons at the door. Deal?" However no one seemed to like the idea since no one was willing to put their weapon the bench.

Carlos, Sarah, and the Indian-American woman, Sarita, entered the lodge and Sarah looked over and gasped, "Dad! Look, a Christmas tree."

"Not now, Sweetie." Carlos said keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"Isn't it great? We found it all in storage." Sarita stated.

"It's amazing." Sarah said

Kenny smiled at Sarah, and he walked down the stairs and placed his gun on the bench. Odd shrugged and followed, putting his crossbow on the bench. Odd was followed by Ulrich and Monroe. Monroe leaned his halberd against the wall behind the bench as Ulrich unstrapped the harness that held his katana. Yumi and Jeremie were next. Jeremie laid his hunting rifle down as Yumi placed her five knives on the bench. The rest of the group then followed placing their weapons and equipment near or on the bench.

Sarita smiled and said, "Good. Will you all please follow me." From there she gave a tour to Nick, Sarah, Luke, Alvin, Rebecca, and Carlos. Walter went back to the kitchen and tried to get something made for the giant group.

While Kenny, Clementine, and the Lyoko Warriors went to a portion of the room that was surrounded by furniture. Kenny, Clementine, Aelita, and Jeremie sat on a couch, Monroe and Ulrich sat on the sofa, William stood next to the couch and looked to Monroe and Ulrich, and Yumi and Odd sat at the opposite sofa. Kenny looked to Clementine and smiled. "Still wearing this dirty old thing." Kenny said as tapped the brim of Clementine's hat. "You know, I half expected Lee to walk up with you. You two were like two peas in a pod." Kenny then jumped back seeing Clementine look down sadly. "Ah, shit. I didn't mean… it's just hard to not think about him."

"I got him killed." Clementine said sadly.

"What?" Kenny asked.

"It was my fault. Lee died because of me." Clementine explained

Aelita's eyes widened and she said, "Clem. No, it's not your fault."

"How long have you been thinking that way?" Jeremie asked worriedly.

"Since Savannah." Clementine replied and she turned around to face Jeremie and Aelita.

"Why didn't you tell us, Clem? You know that we think the world of you." Aelita said.

"It wasn't that important." Clementine said. "We were too busy trying to survive."

"That doesn't mean you should ignore your feelings. Please, don't do that anymore." Aelita said. "I love you way too much for you to put yourself through that kind of pain."

Aelita then took the girl's hands supportively and gave her a smile. Clementine looked to Aelita and smiled back.

"You've become quite a good older sister, A." Monroe complimented.

Jeremie's eyes widened and he asked, "You knew?"

"Clementine told me on the way here." Monroe replied. "I guess we're not Schaeffer's anymore."

"Clem and I are Prescott's. That was Carley's last name." Aelita said. "Carley technically didn't adopt you, so you're still a Schaeffer."

"That's true, but I'm still looking after you two like you were my sisters." Monroe replied.

"Well I know Jeremie's story but I don't know either of yours." Kenny said as he looked to Ulrich and Monroe.

Ulrich sighed and said, "Well, after you guys left the motor inn. I backed myself into a corner to avoid any bullets that came from the bandits. It was a risky move since more and more walkers were showing up, but at least I didn't have to worry about stray bullets hitting me. From there, I took down several walkers; I just kept slicing and slashing with my katana. After a long time, the walkers stopped coming and the bandits must have been far away because I could hear gun fire in the distance. I guess they attracted a herd towards them." Ulrich stopped to recollect everything afterwards and then continued. "Anyway, the area seemed to be clear and I ran out of that motel to try and find shelter since it was night time. That same night, I ran into someone…" Ulrich sighed and said, "His name was Russell. When I found him, he was surrounded by walkers. I went to him to help him out and from there we looked out for each other."

"Was Russell with that group that you and Monroe were with?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich shook his head sadly and continued with the story, "The following day, we were heading toward Statsborrow and that's when we found Monroe. He had a dead walker on top of him."

"The same walker that you and William killed. I took a desperate guess to see if the walker could mask my scent before I lost consciousness." Monroe explained to Kenny.

"After we fixed up Monroe, we kept going until we ran into this psychotic guy named Nate. We weren't with him very long and then we found a group. Two sisters, Shel and Becca, an overweight man named, Wyatt, a former drug addict, Bonnie, and our leader, Vince. There were others but they either left or died."

"We were with them for a while and then we were found." Monroe said with a tint of anger in his voice.

"Who found you?" Jeremie asked.

"Carver. The man that's chasing us now. A woman named Tavia found us and promised us that there was a paradise in all this madness, but she lied." Monroe said. "We went to this shithole and there we worked our asses off. The only plus from the experience was that I found Sarah. I wasn't in good shape when we first met and at first neither of us talked. She was too shy and I was too angry. However, when we did talk to each other, we began to like each other. We helped fix each other… gave each other hope."

"Wait a minute, Sarah was with that group you guys are with. She was with Sarita." Yumi said.

"That's right. I care about Sarah, so don't make me choose between you guys and her." Monroe said.

"We won't." Jeremie replied.

"It sounds like it hasn't been easy for you two." Kenny said.

"We fared better than you guys." Ulrich said. "I mean you guys aren't looking good either."

Suddenly, Sarita rounded the corner and asked, "You all getting along okay?"

"Clementine, Ulrich, Monroe, this is Sarita. Ain't she a beauty?" Kenny asked rhetorically.

Sarita rolled her eyes and said, "It's so nice to meet you all."

Walter then walked back into the makeshift kitchen and Kenny asked, "Hey Walt, where's Matthew? He still out there rootin around?"

"Of course he is." Walter replied. "Well I'll start dinner." Walter said and continued his walk to the makeshift kitchen and Sarita went over to Sarah.

As soon as they left Monroe looked down sadly. "What's wrong?" Jeremie asked.

Monroe sighed and said, "We got to tell them."

"Tell them what?" Kenny asked.

"Despite all the time that we spent with that group, Monroe and I never told them about our secret." Ulrich said.

"You think now is good time?" Aelita inquired.

"None of them armed. It won't be like last time." Monroe said.

"I'm not losing you again." Yumi said with hint of anger in her voice.

"You won't." Ulrich replied.

"We have to tell them. Sarah and I are getting close and now that you're here, there is definitely no way I can keep lying." Monroe said to Aelita. Aelita's eyes softened as she realized that Monroe was right and replied with a nod. Monroe then stressfully put his head in his hand. "I know one thing though… I'm going to need a drink after this."

"How about a drink now. It'll take the edge off." Odd said cheerfully.

"Yeah, then they're going to think we're drunk." Jeremie said.

Odd shrugged, "Jeremie we're going to sound like we're drunk anyway and probably high." Odd said. The group chuckled in response.

Meanwhile, the cabin group descended the stairs and Sarita approached them. "Carlos, right? Won't mind if I steal your daughter for a secret mission?"

Sarah perked up and looked to Carlos. "Stay inside, Sweetie." Carlos replied. The two then walked over to the Christmas tree and started to decorate it.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, actually, there's still a few supplies outside. We need to bring them in before the storm hits." Kenny replied.

"Sure." Luke said and he and Nick headed for the door.

Kenny then stared at the Christmas tree and chuckled. "You two are doing an amazing job." Kenny said to Sarita and Sarah.

"Thanks Kenny." Sarita replied.

"Yeah, thanks Mr… um…" Sarah tried to reply respectfully.

Kenny smiled and said, "You can just call me Kenny, darlin."

"Okay, Kenny." Sarah replied happily.

Kenny then looked over to Yumi, Odd, and Clementine and said, "How about you three help Sarah and Sarita finish the tree?"

"We're on it." Yumi said.

"Ulrich and William, could you two manage through those supplies to make sure we got everything?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, we're on it." William said and he and Ulrich went toward one of the storage closets.

"I almost forgot." Kenny said hastily. He then ran upstairs and grabbed a duffel bag and come back down. He unzipped it and grumbled until he said, "Aha!" He then pulled out a small purple hooded sweatshirt to fit a child. "Here, Clementine, this is yours." Kenny said.

"Thanks Kenny." Clementine replied ecstatically. She removed her hat and immediately placed the sweater over the upper portion of her denim dress and placed her hat back on.

"…And Aelita." Kenny said as he pulled out a teen's pink hooded sweatshirt.

"Wow, thank you. You definitely know my favorite color." Aelita stated and she placed the sweatshirt over her long-sleeve shirt.

"…And finally Jeremie." Kenny said and he pulled out a red sweatshirt.

"Alright, thanks Kenny." Jeremie said and he started put it on.

Kenny then looked to Aelita and said, "Alright, Aelita, could you go help Walt with dinner?"

"Yeah, sure." Aelita replied.

"Monroe and I are going to discuss how we're going to… tell this new group about us." Jeremie said.

Aelita nodded and walked over to Walter. He was stirring a concoction of some kind. The smell was unfamiliar to Aelita. He looked up and asked, "Hey Aelita, settling in well enough?"

"Yeah, thanks for everything." Aelita replied.

"You're welcome." Walter said. "Want to help me fix a little dinner?"

"Uh maybe… what is it?" Aelita asked. "I never smelled anything like this before. It actually smells good."

"Le Walter surprise. An autumnal legume salad with a peach roux." Walter replied.

"Peaches and beans, in other words." Aelita said.

"Why, yes." Walter said surprised by Aelita's guess. "How did you know that?" Walter asked.

"Most of the words you used have their origins in French. That's my native tongue." Aelita replied.

Walter chuckled and replied, "Impressive."

* * *

Meanwhile… Clementine looked up the stairs. She felt on edge about what she saw from the ski lift. What she saw was a pair of flashlight that kept shining back and forth as if searching for something. Someone had to know. Her thoughts were broken when Sarita said, "Good. Now all we need is the topper."

"We always put an angel on top of our tree." Sarah said.

"You know? My family and I never really celebrated Christmas. We always liked the decorations, but then I found Kenny. I converted to Christianity in maybe a week of meeting him."

"That's wonderful!" Sarah exclaimed.

Yumi smiled at the two but then noticed something was bothering Clem. She went over and asked, "You okay, Clem?"

"I… yeah… I saw something from the ski lift outside. I need to tell someone in that group I'm with. Some people are after us." Clementine said.

"What?" Yumi asked and her eyes widened. She got down to Clementine's eye level and asked, "Oh, no. Carver's group?" Clementine nodded and Yumi continued, "Clementine tell that group about what you have found. I'll make sure to tell Jeremie about this." Clementine nodded and ran up the stairs.

"It's crazy. Why would they follow us this far?" Rebecca asked as Clementine climbed the stairs and reached the top.

"We can't be sure." Carlos said. Clementine approached the adults but they continued to be wrapped up with the idea of Carver still following them.

"It has been a week man. We got to be out of the woods." Alvin remarked.

"We can't be sure." Carlos repeated. "They might be tracking us."

"Tracking? Who do you think they are, ninjas?" Alvin inquired as he panicked from the thought of Carver's men hunting them down.

Rebecca noticed Clementine standing in front of them and said, "Clem, Luke said that you saw something in the valley."

"Saw something? All the way down there? How?" Alvin inquired.

"She has binoculars, genius." Rebecca mocked.

"I saw lights." Clementine said.

"Which way did they go?" Rebecca asked.

"Back into the woods, I think." Clementine replied.

Carlos crossed her arms and inquired, "You think?"

"I didn't have enough time to see where a couple of the lights were going." Clementine said.

The three adults pondered on the next move until Carlos spoke up again, "We can't take any chances. We leave at dawn."

"But we're safe here for tonight, right?" Rebecca asked.

"Clementine, you talked to that man, Kenny, right? What did he say? Is he and this group hiding something?" Carlos asked.

"They did say something about another man. I think his name is Matthew." Clementine said as she clutched her right arm.

"That doesn't seem relevant, Clementine." Carlos said.

"It could be…" Rebecca said. "Clementine, did Ulrich or Monroe tell you who that man was that Nick shot?"

"What? You think this Matthew guy and the guy that Nick shot are the same?" Alvin asked.

"That's exactly what I think." Rebecca said.

"I never asked them." Clementine replied.

"Look, I don't care what that man said or about this Matthew guy. Personally, I think you two are overthinking this." Alvin said looking to Clementine and Rebecca. "We're staying here for tonight."

"Just talk to the rest of the group. They trust you. See what you can find out." Carlos said to Clementine. "I'm going to go find Luke." Carlos then headed to the stairs and left the three.

Suddenly Rebecca started to rub her hand on her head and said, "Honey, I don't feel good."

Alvin got down to be eye level with Rebecca and asked, "Bec what's wrong?"

"I just need something to drink." Rebecca replied.

"I'm on it. I'll be right back." Alvin said and he got up and went to the stairs.

…**To be Continued.**


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: What's this? Another chapter of Code Walker? I wonder where that came from. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

As Alvin left the two, Rebecca continued to try and soothe her sore head but Clementine decided to look around. She was worried about the woman but she did remember that Sarah and Sarita wanted a topper for the tree, specifically an angel. She eyed a small box near the stairs and looked inside of it. There were three ornaments for the tree, two of which were toppers: an angel and a star. Clementine immediately grabbed the angel and went back to the tree. Due to her short height, she stood on her tip-toes and placed the angel on the tree.

Sarah looked up and smiled, "She looks so cool."

Sarita, Odd, and Yumi finished putting more ornaments on the tree and looked up. "Beautiful." Sarita remarked. "I used to love this time of year." Sarita then turned to Sarah and said, "You know now that your friends are here, this place is starting to feel like a real home."

Clementine looked over the interior of the ski lodge and thought that Sarita was right. It did feel like a real home, something that she hadn't had in a long time. She descended from the stairs and thought of how inviting the lodge was.

"Matthew and Walter are amazing people." Sarita continued. "Honestly, it's dangerous to be this kind but they can't help it."

"I'm glad that they are so kind." Yumi said.

"What's Matthew like?" Clementine asked. "I don't think I have met him yet."

"He's a real character." Sarita replied.

"Not as good as me though." Odd said.

"I have to admit though, I'm a little worried. He should have come back by now." Sarita said.

"I probably should have gone with him this morning." Odd said.

Sarita looked around to see Kenny and back to Clementine. "Clem, I wanted to ask you something… Does Kenny seem different to you? Jeremie and his friends said that Kenny's been through a lot in the past but they didn't go into detail. I'm just curious if he is the same man that you remember."

Clementine nodded her head and said, "He is just the same old Kenny that I remember."

"That's good." Sarita replied.

Kenny then approached them and said, "Well now, you five have been busy."

"Kenny! Isn't it great?" Sarita exclaimed.

"It certainly is. Good job." Kenny remarked. Kenny then noticed Sarita going for some of the boxes and said, "I got it hon." Kenny said as he reached for the box.

"I think I can manage it, Kenny." Sarita said.

Kenny raised his hands in surrender and replied, "Alright, alright, come and get me if you need help." Sarita nodded and left the small group.

William and Ulrich came back in and Yumi looked over to them. "I'm going to go talk to Ulrich."

"Alright but don't go far. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Kenny said. He then smiled to Clementine and said, "So I heard that you and Aelita are step-sisters now."

Clementine nodded as Odd said, "That's right. Carley adopted her a few months after Savannah."

Kenny smiled in response and looked over to Walter. "It looks like Walter is almost ready with the meal. Why don't you get your friends, Clementine? Tell 'em dinner's almost ready."

Clementine nodded and headed for the stairs but stopped when Jeremie and Monroe went up to Odd. "We're going to tell the cabin members of our secret after dinner. You ready?" Jeremie asked.

Odd sighed and replied, "Could I have a drink first?" Both boys shook their heads and Odd sighed again, "Alright, yeah, I'm ready."

Clementine continued to walk up the stairs and walked up to Rebecca. "Are you okay?" Clementine asked as she gripped her right arm again.

Rebecca looked up and said, "Just got a little dizzy." Rebecca then looked down sadly and said, "I can't even take care of myself. How am I supposed to raise a child? I mean how can anyone?"

"I think it's possible." Clementine said.

"How do you know?" Rebecca inquired.

Clementine pondered for a response and smiled with a reply, "Well, I'm still here." Rebecca jumped when she realized that Clementine was right.

"I know it's going to be hard but I already feel a little less lonely, because no matter what happens, I'll meet someone new." Rebecca replied happily. She then rubbed her belly and said, "She's kicking. You want to feel?" Rebecca then looked down on her stomach and said, "That food smells good, huh?"

"Can I?" Clementine asked. Rebecca nodded and brought her hands back as Clementine crouched down and placed her ear on Rebecca's stomach. She felt a bump and smiled as she looked back up to Rebecca.

"She's going to be a runner." Rebecca remarked happily. She then frowned and said, "It's not his."

Clementine eyes widened and she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know." Rebecca replied. "I trust you for some reason. You look like you've had to keep some secrets before" Rebecca then placed a hand on her belly and continued, "If he finds out that it isn't his, he'll kill me. I don't know what to do. I can't believe I'm asking a little girl for advice."

"I don't know what to say. You could just tell him the truth… I remember before everything happened when I did something wrong that my mom and dad wouldn't punish me as badly if I told them the truth." Clementine explained.

"This isn't quite the same thing, Clem." Rebecca said.

"He's going to find out either way, Rebecca." Clementine replied.

Rebecca thought of the child's words until she looked up to see Alvin with a glass of water and jumped. "There's my man." Rebecca exclaimed happily.

"You alright, baby?" Alvin asked.

"I'm fine, you big dope." Rebecca said as Alvin approached her.

Clementine got out of the way and headed for the stairs as Alvin remarked, "We just need to get some food in you." He then turned around and said, "Thanks for staying with her, Clementine." Clementine turned around and nodded.

"Well everyone, dinner is served." Walter announced from downstairs. "C'mon and eat."

Aelita climbed the set of stairs and looked to Clementine who was ready to climb down and said, "Come on. You ready to eat?"

Clementine smiled and said, "I'm starving." She then took Aelita's hand.

The two went down the stairs and stopped to analyze where everyone was going to sit. The table on the left was where the cabin members sat while the table on the right was where the ski lodge group and Lyoko Warriors were sitting. "I'm going to go sit with Monroe." Aelita said as she loosened her grip on Clementine's hand.

Aelita then walked over and sat next to her brother as Luke was about to signal Clementine to come over to their table but Kenny yelled, "Over here Clem." He also waved her over along with the exclamation.

Clementine looked between the two tables for several seconds until she finally decided to sit with Kenny and his group. "William scoot over." Monroe said. William obliged and Monroe scooted over so that Clementine could sit between him and Aelita. Meanwhile, Luke looked down sadly; Sarah joined him as she looked to Monroe.

Clementine took a bite of the bowl of peaches and beans and perked up. "Wow that tastes amazing! What is this?"

"Peaches and beans." Walter stated.

"Walter knows his way with spices." Aelita stated.

"Yeah, this is amazing Walter. Thank you." Clementine said.

Walter blushed slightly from embarrassment and scratched the back of his neck. "Oh come on, you're both too much."

"It's true though… you're an amazing chef, Walt." Kenny added.

"Well, thank you, all of you." Walter replied as he relaxed and continued to eat.

They remained in silence for a couple of seconds until Kenny spoke up, "So… is it possible that those guys that are chasing y'all will just give up or do we need to leave?"

Monroe shook his head sadly. "No, Bill isn't a guy who just gives up on a search, especially for his own people."

"We can't move on. Matthew is still out there." Walter said.

Kenny sighed and tried to think of a solution, but he was never one to think things through and he visibly struggled trying to think of a solution. Jeremie then added his input. "Odd and I will go down to the station and get him. Monroe, could you, Aelita, and the rest explain our secret to your new group?"

"Yeah you got it." Monroe stated.

"Wait, what secret?" Sarita inquired. Walter looked at the teens equally confused.

"You never told Sarita, Walter, and Matthew about us?" Jeremie asked Kenny.

"That's your secret to tell, not mine." Kenny said.

"Alright. We'll add you two into the discussion and tell you our secret as well. It's only fair." Aelita said.

"Back to that group, we can't just send them out into the cold." Kenny said as he looked to the cabin survivors. "One's close to giving birth and another is only a child."

"I agree." Sarita said.

"But by keeping them and us safe, you put yourselves in danger." Monroe said.

"I don't care. This Carver asshole can come for all I care and I'll put one right between his eyes." Kenny shot back.

Ulrich smiled and said, "Thanks Kenny but these guys are definitely no joke; you're going to have to bring you're A-game." Kenny returned the smiled nodded to the young boy. The group members seemed to finish their meals and some of the members got up to leave. Ulrich, Monroe, Clementine, and Kenny stayed at the table as the other members dispersed. Jeremie and Odd grabbed their equipment and received a kind farewell from Aelita, Yumi, William, and Walter. Sarita went to the couch to enjoy the fire and was joined by Sarah and Carlos. Alvin and Rebecca soon joined them, taking the sofa. Luke and Nick, however went to the table and joined Kenny, Clementine, and the two former Lyoko Warriors.

Luke sat across from Clementine and Monroe and Nick sat across from Kenny and Ulrich. Luke shot a disappointed look towards Clementine for her previous choice of choosing to sitting with Kenny and his group. Clementine looked down sadly which was easily noticed by Monroe who shot a glare at Luke for making Clementine feel bad for her choice. Additionally Monroe rubbed the young girl's arm comfortingly but his efforts were in vain.

"I hope you enjoy the food." Kenny said, ruining the tense atmosphere.

"Oh yeah…" Luke said somewhat speechless. "It's great. Thank you."

"It's peaches and beans." Kenny explained. "Great for nutrition. Not too great on the way out though." Kenny then busted up laughing at his own joke as Ulrich muffled his own laughter with his hand. Monroe chuckled as the other three looked to Kenny with disgust.

Kenny finally stopped laughing as Monroe and Ulrich calmed down and Ulrich remarked, "Something's telling me that you have been around Odd for too long."

"You think?" Kenny inquired sarcastically. Kenny then looked between the two men who joined him. "So it's Luke and Nick? Luke and Nick, you two seemed to be quite the match."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick inquired.

"I'm just saying you two look like good friends, that's all." Kenny replied calmly.

"So what was your plan here? Hold out for the winter?" Luke asked.

"Originally yes." Kenny said. "But with that psycho chasing you guys, we're going to have to move on."

Nick immediately glared at Monroe and Ulrich and snapped, "You told him about us?"

"We don't exactly have a choice." Ulrich said. "Kenny is willing to help us and we're going to need as much help as possible."

"I don't want his help." Nick snapped.

"Listen kid. You're not going to make it on your own out there. Trust me, I've tried; it doesn't work." Kenny said. "Now there's a place called Wellington that's up north, said to be a safe zone."

"Yeah, I've heard of it. Jeremie was leading us up there." Clementine added.

Kenny smiled at her in response and he continued, "Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's the safest bet and it'll keep that Carver guy out of your hair."

"Where is it located? Is it close?" Ulrich asked.

Kenny sighed and shook his head. "It's up near Michigan. That's the only downside."

"Michigan?" Nick inquired.

"You have a hearing problem, kid?" Kenny snapped. "Yeah, Michigan. Think about it: fresh water, lots of land, and cold ass winters to slow the walkers down."

"Sounds like a lot of bullshit." Nick shot back.

Kenny jumped at the man's arrogance and said, "Listen, Vanilla Ice, I don't know what your deal is but you are more than welcome to take off in the morning in a different direction."

"Well that sounds just fine by me." Nick snapped.

"Nick, it was only a suggestion. You don't need to act like shit because of it." Monroe snapped.

"F*** you man. All you ever do is ride my ass." Nick snapped.

"And why do you think that is Nick?" Monroe inquired.

"Please don't fight." Clementine said. The three discontinued their squabbling match as Walter approached the table.

"Gentlemen, please, there is no need for this. We've all had a long day." Walter said. "Now please eat."

Kenny was still angry and looked to Clementine and said, "Pass me that can, Duck." Monroe's, Ulrich's and Clementine's eyes widened when they heard Kenny call Clementine Duck and Kenny gasped. His eyes widened in horror at the mistake he made and he looked down slowly as he remembered his deceased son.

However, Luke and Nick exchanged a questioning glance and Luke asked, "Duck? Who is Duck?"

"Kenny…" Clementine said worriedly to the man who was now spaced out.

"You have your secrets and Kenny has his." Ulrich said to Luke.

"That didn't seem to stop you from telling him about Carver." Nick said as he glared at Monroe and Ulrich.

"We're going to need help, Nick." Monroe said. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life running from that bastard?"

"That doesn't matter-" Nick started to say but was interrupted by Walter.

"Say Clementine, could you help me with something outside?" Walter asked the young girl.

Clementine looked to her half-brother for permission and Monroe obliged with a nod. She got up and headed outside with Walter as Monroe and Ulrich left the table.

Monroe sighed disgruntledly and shook his head in distaste. The four Lyoko Warriors looked at him and he said, "Well let's get this over with."

"Yeah, probably best to do it now with everyone gathered." William said. Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita nodded in agreement and they walked to the fireplace where the group was gathered and got in front of the group. Sarita was relaxing on the sofa with Sarah reading her favorite book: The Guurgles. Carlos was starting to doze off, Rebecca and Alvin were enjoying each other's embrace, and Luke and Nick were approaching the group from leaving the table.

"How bout it y'all? You think we'll be safe for the evening?" Luke inquired from his group.

Carlos sprung awake and stretched. "I think Carver and his men are tracking us but I have no idea for sure." Carlos replied.

Finally the teens were in front of the adults and Monroe huffed. Everyone looked to the teens for a few minutes and Sarita asked, "Monroe, you have something to say? Is this about what was said at dinner?"

"What else did you tell them?" Nick inquired as he glared at the teen.

"Something that you don't know about me, about any of us." Monroe replied vaguely. "In fact, the only people who know this other than us is Clementine and Kenny." Everyone looked at the teens with wide eyes. "Well, where do we begin?" Monroe asked his sister.

"Just like last time. Start from Switzerland and end to what is happening now." Aelita replied. The cabin members looked to the group of teenagers with a questioning look which the teens quickly shrugged off.

Monroe sighed and said, "Twenty years ago, my father, mother, Aelita, and I lived in the mountains of Switzerland until Anthea, our mother, was abducted. To this day, we still don't have a clue on what happened to her. The men who abducted her were my father's employers. They were very powerful and they threatened to take from him, Aelita and me next. With that we moved to the Hermitage to have a fresh start. Unfortunately, we didn't stay hidden for long. The men that worked on Project Carthage with my father found us while father had succeeded in creating Lyoko and a special AI, known as XANA."

"Project Carthage? What is that?" Carlos asked.

"Project Carthage was going to be used to intercept enemy communications, but daddy realized that the success of that project would make him and us a target, so he abandoned his work." Aelita explained.

"Wait, one thing doesn't add up." Rebecca said. "You said twenty years ago?" Monroe nodded and she continued, "It can't be. You're sixteen."

"So wait a minute you're actually older than sixteen?" Sarah asked somewhat frightened.

"In a technical stand point, I have been on earth for sixteen years. I spent nine more years in Lyoko."

"What the f*** is Lyoko?" Nick asked.

"We're getting there, patience smartass." Ulrich said. He then looked to Monroe for him to continue.

"My father, Aelita, and I fled to Lyoko when the Men in Black found us. While you are in Lyoko, you will not age. You're whole body will be transferred and made into data. However, you can be connected to Lyoko which makes half of your being into data." Monroe said and he looked at Aelita as he mentioned the last part.

"Wait, are you saying that half of Aelita became data?" Luke asked.

"Yes, and funny thing, she developed a serious case of amnesia from the incident. She didn't remember who I was nor did she remember what happened on Earth. But of course, Yumi will now take over because the other half of the story happened to Jeremie and the rest of our group." Monroe said looking over to Yumi.

Yumi smiled and said, "Nine years after, Monroe and Aelita went into Lyoko, our leader, Jeremie went to the factory that contained the supercomputer and started it up. There, he met Aelita and soon after, Ulrich, Odd, and I joined in on the secret and we fought against the rogue AI known as XANA, and we got Aelita out of the supercomputer."

"Wait, what about Monroe and William?" Alvin asked.

"Monroe was quite unique, the first time we met him was when Ulrich, Aelita, and I were in the forest sector and were cornered by a pack of XANA's monsters known as Krabs." Yumi explained. "Unlike Aelita, he still had his memory and could return to Earth easily. As for William… it's a long story, and mistakes were made on both sides."

"What kind of mistakes?" Carlos inquired.

The four Lyoko Warriors looked to William with a questioning look and Yumi said, "Do you want to tell them what happened? You don't have to, and it's your decision since it is something a little personal."

"I'd rather not." William stated. "Ulrich told me outside what you guys did to Clementine and I don't want something worse to happen to me."

Most of the group looked down sadly showing that they were ashamed of themselves for the decision that they made. Nick, however, scoffed and said, "Come on man, she was bit. What else were we supposed to do?"

"How about consider her as a ten year old little girl who really need your help?" Aelita inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was very irritated by the brash actions of the group and was extremely thankful that Monroe and Ulrich were with them, otherwise, it could have ended horribly for young Clementine.

Nick sighed and looked down somewhat angrily as Luke asked, "So what did this XANA thing want?"

"It was rogue program that wanted complete control of the world." Monroe said.

"That's science fiction. That would never happen!" Carlos exclaimed.

"If that is true, then answer this. How is it that seven teenagers from France were able to survive the end of the world in a year and a half with no casualties?" Monroe inquired.

Carlos tried to think of a response as his mouth stayed open until he slumped in a chair in defeat. The other cabin members were equally stumped as they have seen some of the strongest men die in the first few months of the apocalypse.

"Before we found Clementine's group, we spent two and a half months on the side of the road with just each other for protection from the walkers." Ulrich said.

"There's no way." Alvin said.

"Ask Kenny and Clem, they'll tell you the same thing." William said.

"Look the reason why we wanted to tell you guys this is because we trust you, despite all the heck that you give us from time to time." Monroe said. "Plus, you should know that, XANA has done a specific attack like this one before."

The group looked up surprised by the statement. Nick, in particular, glared at the teens and exclaimed, "So my uncle died because of this shitty, asshole computer.

"That's what we thought at first too." Yumi said. "However, we realized that XANA wasn't at fault for whatever the hell this is."

"And how do you figure that?" Rebecca asked.

"Three reasons." Monroe stated. "One, XANA's attack of using walkers was very small and only affected our small town. Two, if it is XANA behind the walkers, then the walkers would be trying to get rid of our group since we're the only ones who can stop him. However, the walkers seem mindless and don't have particular aim towards anyone. And third and most important, XANA is dead. We killed him after he murdered Franz Hopper, Aelita's and my father."

Everyone's eyes widened and they all looked on surprised by the information that the teens provided. Sarita then asked, "If this XANA was so dangerous, why didn't you guys go to the police about this? Why get so involved?"

"The people who worked on Project Carthage would have taken Aelita and Monroe away and we would never see them again." Yumi said sadly thinking of the possibility of the event happening.

"So wait a minute, what about the attacks? Wouldn't they have created some attention within your country?" Luke asked.

"Normally yes, but the reason why they went unnoticed and why no one has ever discovered our secret was because of a program that my father stumbled upon while working on the supercomputer." Monroe said. "The program is known as Return to the Past. In basic terms, a huge blast of data is released and it throws time backwards but not significantly, a day or two at the most. But it was very dangerous to use. Every time, we used that program, XANA would learn from us and get stronger."

A few minutes passed as the group tried to process all the information. Then Sarah said solemnly, "So there's no way of fixing any of this? My mom really isn't coming back." She looked down sadly as Sarita placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid not." Ulrich replied.

"So are we all good?" Aelita asked the group.

A few minutes passed with awkward silence dominating the area until Luke smiled and said, "Thanks for trusting us enough to give out a secret that big."

"Yeah, thank you, it means a lot." Sarah said as she looked up sadly to the group.

"Trusting us this much could not have been easy. Thank you." Alvin said.

"I agree with Alvin, thank you." Rebecca said.

"It took a lot of courage to tell us this, thank you." Sarita said.

"Thanks." Nick said sadly as he realized that Pete was gone just like his mother and Sarah's own mother.

Carlos nodded appreciatively towards the Lyoko Warriors and Monroe signaled them to leave and head away from the group so they could process what happened.

"Well that didn't go too bad." William stated.

"That definitely took the weight of the world off my shoulder." Ulrich said as he looked to Monroe for confirmation.

"Actually, I agree with Odd. I really need a drink right now." Monroe said. The other four Lyoko Warriors rolled their eyes at Monroe's antic until they noticed Clementine walking in.

**Several Minutes Ago**

Outside the cold night air ran through the two figures as one, Walter, talked to the other, Clementine, after the incident inside where Kenny accidentally called her Duck. In the distance, Clementine could see the windmill that kept the ski lodge running as Walter said, "I'm sorry about that back there. I used to be a teacher, so I know how it's like being in the middle of two cliques. I suspect they'll find common ground soon enough."

In response, Clementine looked down doubtfully. Walter picked up on the hint and continued, "It may take time but that's just how these things work. Everything will be fine."

"Thanks Walter." Clementine replied as she sent an appreciative glance toward the man.

Walter smiled and the two walked along the pathway as Clementine considered many of the good things in her life. She may have lost her family and Lee, but she now has a protective older brother, a caring older sister, and many good friends. "They say the world is over." Walter stated and interrupted her thoughts and she looked to Walter as he stopped walking and addressed his young companion. "But I'll tell you a little secret; it's not. People are more political now than they ever were before. In the end, we can't change the world. All we can do is learn from each other; to emphasize the use of our heads." Walter continued as Clementine looked to him "All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal."

Clementine looked to Walter intriguingly and said, "That sounds familiar. Is that Chaucer?"

Walter jumped in surprise and said, "Not quite, it's Steinbeck. However, I can't believe you know about Chaucer." Walter said still shocked.

"Yeah, Jeremie and Aelita took turns tutoring me during the year I spent with them." Clementine said and she pondered and said, "Chaucer wrote the… Canterbury Tales, right?"

"Correct." Walter praised. "I'm very surprised, some of my students wouldn't even know that."

Clementine accepted the praise with a smile as Walter continued, "Anyway, the point is: as long as we have our wits about us, we can always make the right choices, right?"

"Right!" Clementine said enthusiastically.

"Hey kids." Kenny said as he approached Walter and Clementine. The two turned to him as he asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, Politics with a side of English." Walter replied.

"The hell?" Kenny asked with a chuckle.

"Being from Florida, I would imagine that you know all about politics, Kenny." Walter replied.

"Man, I know one advantage of living in the apocalypse is not dealing with that shit no more." Kenny said while he looked to Clementine with a smile. He walked past the two heading for the back of the lodge and explained, "I was just going to check on the windows around back before this storm hits. Give me a hand?"

"Sure." Walter replied as Clementine nodded in confirmation that she would help.

The three went around back only to see a red haired woman peeking through the window of the ski lodge. Kenny was shocked to see her and raised his gun, fearing that she was a bandit and was scoping out the area to attack it. Walter stopped Kenny by placing a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Kenny obliged and lowered the hunting rifle. "Miss?" Walter said to get the woman's attention.

She looked over and jumped upon seeing the three. She raised her hands in surrender as she stared wide eyed at Kenny's hunting rifle. "Please, do you have any food?" The red haired woman asked.

"Are you okay?" Walter asked as he approached the woman.

"I saw the house and… I have a family. We're starving." The woman explained. "We live down there." The woman gestured to the bottom of the mountain.

"Of course." Walter said. "Why don't you come in miss…?"

"Bonnie." The woman replied.

"Walt, do we have enough supplies?" Kenny asked. "I mean our group has gotten a lot bigger since we found this place."

"It's fine, Kenny." Walter replied.

"Walt, we got children with us. We can't afford to give out too much of our own rations." Kenny said.

"As I recalled, we're going back on the road again anyway, which will give us plenty of opportunities find more, right Clem?" Walter said as he looked to the small ten year old.

"Right, it's the best thing to do Kenny." Clementine said.

Kenny smiled and said, "Alright, looks like I'm outnumbered." Kenny then looked to Bonnie and asked, "Why don't you come in and we'll get you sorted out?"

"Thank you, really, but that storm'll be on us soon and I have got to get back to my family." Bonnie said appreciatively.

"Maybe we can help you get your family up here?" Kenny suggested. "We got plenty of abled bodies."

"It's fine. We do have shelter." Bonnie explained. "But thank you for your concern."

"Alright, I'll bring something out to you then." Walter said.

"You don't have to do that." Bonnie said.

"No, no, it's fine." Walter said as he raised his hand up. "Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be right back." Walter headed back towards the front doors of the lodge leaving Bonnie with Kenny and Clementine.

Bonnie approached the two nervously as Kenny and Clementine looked to her. "I have a little girl like you, except older." Bonnie said to Clementine. She then got down to Clementine's height and gave a warm smile to the girl. "How old are you sweetie?"

"I'm ten." Clementine said, returning the smile.

Ten? I thought you would be younger." Bonnie said. "You look like you just turned nine."

Bonnie stood up straight upon seeing Walter coming around the corner. He carried a box of food which he handed to Bonnie. "Here you go, miss."

Bonnie took the supplies and her eyes widened. "This is too much." Bonnie said.

"Don't mention it." Walter said.

"I don't know how to thank you all." Bonnie said as she looked to Kenny, Walter, and Clementine.

"Just help someone else down the line." Walter said.

"Thank you so much." Bonnie said with a smile.

"Do you need any help getting back?" Kenny asked. "I could come along with you, make sure you get back to your family, safe and sound."

"You've done too much for me already." Bonnie said. "But thank you. I'll be going now."

"Stay safe." Walter said.

"You too." Bonnie said and she started to head down the mountain.

Walter smiled back at his two allies as Kenny nodded. "Well, I'd say we finish checking around back." Kenny suggested. He then heard a quiet yawn and looked to Clementine. "And I think someone needs to go to bed."

"I am a bit sleepy." Clementine replied.

"Go on inside, hon. Walt and I will finish out here." Kenny said.

Clementine nodded and she went towards the entrance of the ski lodge. She looked up and saw the Lyoko Warriors finishing a discussion. They looked to her and Aelita walked down the stairs to talk to her.

"Hey, Clem." Aelita greeted. "You look sleepy."

"I am, a little." Clementine replied.

"How about we join the others aroud the fireplace?" Aelita suggested.

"I'd like that." Clementine replied. The two then walked off towards the fireplace leaving the other four members to talk.

…**To be continued.**


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Man, sorry it's been so long since I've updated this thing… I've gotten into some other Fic ideas… I know I need to finish this thing, and I will do my best to do that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead **_**or **_**Code Lyoko**_**. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"I think I need to go join them." Monroe said as Aelita and Clementine left to be in front of the fire place. "Besides, I got to go talk to Sarah. I need to make sure that she and I are… still okay."

"Sounds good." William said. "I should probably go help Kenny and Walter around back."

"Alright, talk to you two later." Yumi said. They nodded to Yumi and Ulrich as a farewell and left the couple. Monroe approached the fireplace to talk to Sarah, and William descended down the stairs and headed outside to help Kenny.

Ulrich and Yumi looked to each other and immediately blushed. Neither one has forgotten about the struggles and joys that their relationship has undergone. "So… you know I really did miss you. I missed all of you guys, but I missed you the most." Ulrich said. "It's so easy to forget all of the struggles that we went through."

"Yeah, but… I would repeat it in a heartbeat." Yumi said.

"Really? But we fought so much… and I sulked like crazy when you and William-" Ulrich said, but he was interrupted by Yumi.

"Shut up, Ulrich! All you ever do is recall all of the bad times in our relationship." Yumi said. "Don't you remember any of the good times, like when we got Aelita out of the supercomputer for the first time, or when you brought me back from the digital sea…?"

"I do remember that." Ulrich said. "Jeremie was so distraught that we couldn't bring Aelita to the real world, but I was so happy to see you again, to see you alive…"

"And there was only one other time when I felt even happier than that…" Yumi said. Ulrich looked to her as she continued with a radiant smile. "It was the first time that you kissed me… when we were in Lyoko. I know that XANA ruined of our lives, but at the same time, I am thankful that he existed. We wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for him."

Ulrich looked to Yumi with wide eyes and an affectionate smile. "I love you, Yumi." Ulrich said.

"I love you, too." Yumi said. The two leaned in close to each other and puckered their lips ready to kiss until they heard a whisper.

"Ulrich, Yumi?" Luke whispered from behind one of the columns.

The two groaned and looked to Luke with a glare. "What?" They both hissed simultaneously.

Luke motioned to come over to where he was. They reluctantly did so while maintaining a glare at the man. "Look, I know this might be a bad time but-"

"Bad time? Luke, you seriously have some pretty shitty timing." Ulrich hissed.

"Look, I know, I know." Luke said as he raised his hands in surrender. "But this is very important. I need to show you something."

"Alright, let's see it." Ulrich said as he sulked. He held out his hand in preparation to see what Luke was going to show him.

Luke nodded and handed Ulrich a photo of the man that was shot by Nick and Walter standing side-by-side. Ulrich's eyes widened and he said, "Oh shit."

"You see, I knew something was off, so I asked Sarita about their friend. And now they're all worried that he's not back yet." Luke explained. "But because you and Monroe went across that bridge, I had to come to one of you two. I couldn't give it to Monroe, because I knew Sarah would start having a panic attack if I did."

"Shit!" Ulirch said. He then shook his head disbelief as Yumi looked on confused. "Yeah, that's the guy that Nick shot."

"What?" Yumi exclaimed. "Oh crap."

"Look, I know." Luke said. "Please, can you just… calm down until we talk to Walter?"

"I'm not the one you should be concerned with." Yumi said. "Walter and Matthew, they… they're very well acquainted to say the least."

"Shit! Dammit Nick!" Luke hissed. He sighed to recollect himself and continued, "Okay, I don't think Walter knows yet, so we're going to have to keep this quiet. I mean who knows what the hell he'd do if he found out." Luke said.

"No, we have to tell him what happened." Yumi said. "He may be angry and hurt, but that will be a far cry from him finding out while we knew the whole time and never told him."

"Yumi's right, Luke." Ulrich said. "Nick's going to need to know too."

"No, that's a bad idea." Luke said. "Last thing we need to do is let Nick know about this; he will freak out. And Walter, he won't be in any shape to be reasonable." Luke sighed and continued, "Now then do you still have that knife? Because if it was Matthew's, and Walter sees it, he's going to put two and two together."

"It's with the rest of my supplies." Ulrich said.

"Well, okay, go get rid of it and I'll try to run interference with Walter, and oh… keep an eye out for Nick." Luke said.

"I'm right here." Nick said as he approached the three. "What's up?"

"Oh, uh… nothing man, just wanted to see if you were okay." Luke said as he walked out from behind the column.

"Hey man, I'm fine." Nick said. A smirk found its way on his features and Nick asked, "Are you going to tuck me in too?"

"There is something you need to know." Ulrich said.

Luke shook his head at Ulrich as an indication that showing Nick the photo would be a bad idea. "Hey if there's something going on, I want to know." Nick said as his smirk disappeared.

"No, Nick just go off to bed." Luke insisted.

"So what? You don't trust me now?" Nick asked with a frown.

Ulrich looked down and handed the picture of Matthew and Walter to Nick. Nick took a look of the photo and his eyes widened in horror. "No, shit! Dammit!" Nick exclaimed.

"Shh… Nick shut the f*** up man!" Luke exclaimed.

"I-I can't man. I can't." Nick said as he continued to panic.

"Do not freaking blow it, Nick." Luke said.

"Blow it?" Nick inquired. "It's over. I have to tell him, Luke."

"WHAT, NO! You can't, Nick! Are you freaking nuts?" Luke asked.

"I have to. I can't live with that on me." Nick said.

"I agree. It's the right thing to do." Yumi said.

"Nick I'm warning you. This is suicide." Luke said.

"I'll live with that." Nick said and he walked away to find Walter.

Luke sighed and said, "Yumi, Ulrich, I need you to go do that thing I asked you to do, alright?"

The two nodded in response and they walked towards the stairs to retrieve the survival knife that Ulrich received earlier that day. He reached the bottom of the stairs and grabbed his harness and looked at a couple of areas where the knife could be secure.

"What the heck?" Ulrich said.

"What's wrong?" Yumi asked.

"That survival knife is nowhere on my harness." Ulrich said. "I don't carry around a backpack like the others since I could attach anything to my harness by tying a knot around it." Out of the corner of his eye, Ulrich saw Walter standing outside, looking over something that was in his hand. Ulrich gestured to the man outside.

In response, Yumi turned around and saw the man. "Oh crap, that doesn't look good." Yumi said.

"Yeah let's go talk to him." Ulrich said and he headed for the door.

The two walked outside somewhat frightened by the way Walter was acting. The atmosphere did little to ease the tenseness of the situation. The wind's howl was almost as horrible as a walker's. Additionally, the wind caused the turbine to pick up speed. Both Yumi and Ulrich approached Walter and could now see what Walter had in his hands. It was Matthew's knife!

"Walter…?" Yumi asked concerned for the kind man.

"I always liked this knife." Walter stated as he smoked a cigarette. He then unsheathed the blade and said, "I gave it to Matthew when all of this started. I know he's dead. Who did it? Was it that kid? What's his name… uh, Nick? Heard him talking earlier about shooting a man." Walter paused and said, "I could see it… I could see it on his face! I wasn't sure then… but now… I know what happened."

"It was us." Ulrich admitted as he lowered his head with a frown forming on his lips. "It was us who killed Matthew."

"Holy shit…" Walter said. "I don't feel good… Did Nick shoot Matthew?"

"Yes." Ulrich said.

In response to Ulrich's reply, Walter gripped the knife tighter. He huffed out some smoke from the cigarette and turned to the teens. He dropped the cigarette and stomped on it and asked, "Is Nick a good man? Or is he like everyone else?"

Ulrich looked up to Walter and said, "Nick's a good guy. He… He's just going through a rough time…" Ulrich paused for a second and then continued, "He lost his uncle just recently, the only family he had left." Walter looked back to the wind turbine as the door creaked open. Ulrich and Yumi looked over to see Nick at the door.

"He was always going out there alone." Walter explained. "I told him something like this would happen. But he wouldn't listen. No Matt always knew best."

"Walter…" Nick said as he approached with one hand extended to the man. "I'm so sorry for what happened to Matthew. H…H-He had a gun and I was afraid that he was going to hurt my friends. I'm sorry man, if I would have known, I would have never aimed my gun at him. I'm so sorry."

Walter looked to Nick tearfully and asked, "Do you have any idea what you have done to me? Do you have any idea?"

"I-I'm sorry, Walter. I really am." Nick said.

"Nick thought that Matthew meant us harm." Ulrich explained. "There's no doubt that he did something stupid… but his intentions were in the right place."

"Please Walter." Yumi said. "There's been enough pain and suffering for one day."

Walter looked down to the knife and examined it before tossing it aside.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and the turbine started to spin out of control. The noise caused by the turbine was quite loud which caused the four in the front of the ski lodge to look up at it. Everyone, except for Rebecca, Sarah, and Alvin walked outside and observed the turbine.

"Walt, what's going on?" Kenny asked. However, Walter didn't respond and instead looked down sadly as he continued to mourn the loss of Matthew. The wind picked up even more and Kenny looked over from the front of the ski lodge and said, "The storm's got it spinnin outta control. That sound's gonna draw walkers. We gotta shut it down now!"

Carlos turned to Nick and said, "Nick help me carry the guns." Nick nodded and the two went inside to retrieve any firearms that were in the ski lodge.

"Guns?" Sarita inquired.

"Here." Monroe said to Ulrich as he tossed his harness to him. "You'll need something to defend yourself with."

"Thanks." Ulrich said as he strapped the harness to his body.

"Here, Yumi." Aelita said as she and Clementine handed her the five knives that she left on the bench earlier to gain the trust of Luke's group. "I think Clem and I got them all."

"Thanks." Yumi said as she sheathed all of the knives.

Carlos and Nick returned with several guns in hand. Both Clementine and Aelita accepted handguns as Sarita and William accepted hunting rifles. "That damn thing's a dinner bell!" Kenny bellowed and he ran towards the wind turbine. Everyone followed him to the turbine as the wind continued to pick up speed.

Just as Kenny reached the control box, there was a loud explosion nearby. Everyone looked to where the sound of the explosion came from and Luke asked, "The hell was that?"

William looked over towards the ski lodge and saw all of the light shut off. "Must have been the transformer." William said.

"Dammit!" Kenny replied. "I gotta check it." Kenny then looked over his shoulder towards the group and said, "I could use a hand."

"I'll go with you." Luke said.

"I'm going too." Sarita added.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Kenny said. He then looked to the rest of the group and said, "The rest of you get this thing shut down." He then ran towards the blown transformer which must have been in the forest. Luke followed him as the rest of the group looked at the control box. Sarita opened it and looked inside to see all the switches and fuses.

"Does anyone know how to do this?" Carlos asked. He then looked to Sarita who only shrugged, which indicated that she had no clue on how to shut down the machine. "Great." Carlos scoffed.

"I can do it." William spoke up. "My dad used to be an engineer. I picked up some of his know-how."

"Okay, we'll watch your back." Carlos said. "Nick scan the trees with me." Carlos then walked over and joined Nick, leaving William to figure out the control box.

"I need some light to work with." William said. "I can't see a thing."

"Here." Clementine said as she brought out her zippo lighter to use as a light to make the switches and fuse visible.

"Perfect. Thanks Clem." William said. He then looked around the box until he found a key. William grabbed the key and placed it in the main switch and pressed it in. With that done, the turbine started to slow down until it came to a complete stop.

"Nice job, William." Aelita praised as Clementine closed up her lighter.

"Glad that you guys kept me around after all, huh?" William asked with a smirk. The remaining Lyoko Warriors nodded in response.

"Something ain't right." Nick said as he continued to scan the tree line. The sound of gurgled growling and snarls filled the air and soon everyone could hear the volume and frequency of the growls and snarls increase. It was as if the wind turbine was being surrounded by walkers.

"We don't have much ammunition." Carlos said as he raised his gun.

"Most of our ammunition is back at the lodge." William said as he raised his hunting rifle.

"Then we'll fight our way back to the lodge." Monroe said.

Suddenly, the growling intensified from behind the group and they turned to see walkers approaching them from the rear. "They're behind us!" Nick exclaimed. Carlos took aim with his handgun and shot a nearby walker. However, the walkers from behind proved to be persistent and continued towards the group.

Sarita, Nick, and Carlos shot from behind while Monroe, Yumi, and Ulrich ran at the walkers approaching the group at the front. All three wielded their melee weapons and attacked. Meanwhile, William stayed behind and aimed with the use of the hunting rifle. He fired at stray walkers while looking to the three former Lyoko Warriors to see if they would need any cover fire. Aelita stayed close to William but immediately went into action when a stray walker approached her and Clementine. Clementine gasped upon seeing the walker but was shielded from the creature by her older step-sister. Aelita shot the walker and she led Clementine toward the house.

Along the way, the two looked over to see Nick struggling with a herd of walkers. Nick quickly retreated from the herd since the herd's numbers had overwhelmed him. The herd soon picked up on the scent of the two children and turned towards them.

Aelita and Clementine raised their guns and started to shoot at the herd. One-by-one, the herd's numbers began to decrease. Each shot that Aelita fired was dead on and killed another walker. Clementine was less accurate due to having little experience at firing from a distance. She was a natural shot, but she lacked the experience. The Lyoko Warriors were very protective of her; they made sure that she could spend more time as a kid, rather than being a survivor.

Aelita and Clementine soon ran out of ammo as the two remaining walkers approached them. Aelita was decent with her knife skills but taking two walkers on at once would be too much. Aelita quickly shielded Clementine and looked around to find some form of assistance. She found it in William who had finished reloading. "William!" Aelita shouted.

William looked over to Aelita and saw her backpedaling from a couple of walkers with Clementine behind her. William took aim with the rifle and shot the two walkers. "Okay, you're good!" William shouted back. However, a walker tried to grab William from behind, but its grip was loose and William easily shook it off. He quickly shot his hunting rifle again to kill the walker. He then got up and ran towards the cabin.

Aelita and Clementine ran from the scene to follow William, but lost sight of him. The next thing they knew, Aelita and Clementine heard a very familiar voice. "Somebody help me!" It was Nick. The two went in the direction of the young man's cries and saw that he was struggling with a walker.

"Nick!" Clementine exclaimed as the two girls watched on helplessly. Neither could do a thing. They were both out of ammunition. Aelita and Clementine then noticed Walter behind Nick with his handgun aimed at the walker; however, he never got the chance to shoot it.

"Walter, watch out!" Aelita exclaimed as she noticed a walker limping towards the man. Walter turned around to fire at the approaching walker, but it was too late. The walker pushed him to the ground and was now trying to bite him. Aelita and Clementine ran over to help Walter as the walker continued in its attempt to eat the man.

Thankfully, the walker soon stopped as a halberd hit the back of its skull. It fell limp as Walter huffed in relief. Monroe yanked the walker off of Walter and retrieved his weapon.

"Are you alright?" Aelita asked Walter.

"I think so." Walter replied. Walter looked to Monroe who was looking to where Nick was. "Thank you." Walter said. "You saved my life."

Monroe didn't respond and merely walked over toward another walker which appeared to be eating something. In one quick thrust, Monroe killed the walker and looked down to what the creature was eating. Walter, Aelita, and Clementine joined alongside him and were saddened to see Nick. His neck was ripped open, and he was obviously choking on his own blood. His torso was also ripped open with his intestine scattered about. Monroe sighed and said, "Get out of here. I got to make sure he doesn't come back."

The three nodded and Walter led the way back for Aelita and Clementine. Meanwhile, Monroe huffed as he pulled out his revolver. Without another moment's hesitation, Monroe shot Nick.

Meanwhile, Clementine and Aelita followed Walter and the three regrouped with Carlos, Sarita, and William. "Where's Nick?" Carlos asked.

"I…I tried to help him." Walter said with a frown in his features.

"Great…" Carlos muttered as he shot another walker.

"There's too many." William said. "Clem, Aelita… get inside, go!" The two complied and raced for the entrance of the ski lodge while Carlos, William, and Walter shot at the remaining walkers. Aelita and Clementine neared the entrance of the ski lodge but were cut off by a couple of walkers. Aelita aimed with her handgun, but it was no use. She was out of ammunition.

Suddenly, two knives flew past Aelita and Clementine and into the walkers' skulls. They both fell limp to the ground as the two heard footsteps from behind. They both turned to see Yumi approaching them. "Glad you're here." Aelita said.

"This reminds me of the old days." Yumi said.

"Where's Ulrich?" Aelita asked.

"He and Monroe regrouped with the others." Yumi replied. "Go and get inside. I'll make sure nothing gets passed me."

"Will you be okay?" Clementine asked.

"You know it." Yumi said as she drew her last two knives. She turned around and got into a fighting stance as Aelita led Clementine inside.

They ran inside and went up the stairs to the main floor. "Clementine, Aelita, are you both alright?" Rebecca asked upon seeing the two children. The two ran up to Rebecca worriedly as automatic gunfire could be heard from outside.

"What the hell…?" Alvin asked. The four inside the ski lodge approached the large window to observe outside as more automatic gunfire erupted. Walkers fell left and right, and before any of the survivors knew it, the horde of walkers were dead. However, a threat far worse than the walkers came towards the group.

A man headed towards the group with three other people holding assault rifles. "Howdy folks." The man said with a smirk as his compatriots surrounded the group outside.

"Carver…" Rebecca said frighteningly.

Carver approached Carlos and asked, "Where's Rebecca?" In response, Carlos spat in his face. Carver wiped the saliva off of his face and said, "Nice to see you too." He then punched Carlos as hard as he could.

Carlos yelped upon impact, but regained his footing. "Dad!" Sarah exclaimed and she ran out of the ski lodge to his aid.

"Sarah!" Rebecca called after the teenage girl, but it was too late. Sarah ran to her father and hugged him. Carver smirked as he looked to the ski lodge.

Carver turned to the group and said, "Relieve them of their weapons."

"Alright, give me your damn weapons." One of the guards spat.

"What's wrong, Troy?" Monroe asked with a searing glare aimed at the man. "You still sore about me beating you nearly to death?"

With that, the guard, Troy immediately hit the teenager with a quick punch to the face. Everyone within the group shared a scrunched up face from watching the teen get hit except for Carlos who only smirked. He wished he could hit Monroe like that and could get away with it. "I'll put you in your place, boy." Troy said.

Monroe merely shrugged off the hit and got up. "You've gotten soft, Troy. You hit like a pansy."

"F*** you!" Troy exclaimed.

"Hey enough!" Carver exclaimed. "Disarm them, NOW." Troy grumbled in response, but he had to follow orders. Carver didn't tolerate insubordination. He and the other guard relieved the group of their remaining weapons and waited for Carver's next set of orders.

"Inside." Carver commanded his group. They obliged and aimed their weapons towards the group to move. They obliged but then one of the members in Carver's group went up to Walter and he recognized her. It was the same woman that he helped out earlier and gave some supplies to. "It's you!" Walter exclaimed.

The woman, Bonnie, looked down sadly. She knew that she wasn't doing the right thing, but still said, "Keep moving."

With that, they all started to move for the ski lodge. Rebecca, Alvin, Aelita, and Clementine started to move. They headed for the stairs to get to the second story. They reached the top of the stairs and stayed hidden as the rest of the group was tied up. Yumi was now with them with an obvious scowl. She hated the situation that the group was in.

The guards escorted the captured members to the wall adjacent to the decorated Christmas tree as Bonnie remarked, "Look at this place."

"It's freaking huge." One of the guards said. "Bill's going to hate it." He then looked towards Bonnie and said, "I think this place had electricity."

"Hah, you sound surprised." Bonnie said. She looked to the large windows with a worried stare and said, "Johnny cover that window." The said guard nodded and went to the window as Bonnie walked over to keep an eye on the captured members

Meanwhile, Aelita watched on with uneasiness. She didn't like what she was seeing. Her group, her friends, her family were all tied up as a madman and three guards kept watch over them with very powerful weapons. She quickly ducked for cover as the madman, Carver turned to the second story.

Carver growled upon not seeing anyone else from the group that abandoned his settlement and grabbed Carlos by his arm. He dragged him to the front of the group and gave him a quick punch to his stomach. He groaned in pain as he fell to the ground. "Dad!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I'm only going to ask you once. Where is Rebecca?" Carver said.

Carlos looked to Sarah and said, "Sarah look at me. It's going to be okay." Suddenly Carlos was pulled back by his hair by Carver. Carver then grabbed one of his hands and pulled back a finger to where it was broken.

Carlos screamed in pain as Sarah looked on in horror. She tried to get free from her restraints but to no avail.

"Rebecca?" Carver shouted. "Rebecca, our baby deserves to be raised in a place of safety. I know you are out there, with Alvin, Luke and the girl." Carver then released Carlos from his grip and to which Carlos whined in pain from the newly broken digit. "This is real simple. If you want this over quick you all play nice and show your faces."

"Dad!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Take it easy, Carver." Monroe said in a vain attempt to stop the madman from doing something brash.

A couple minutes ticked by as Carver impatiently waited for the remaining survivors to reveal themselves. "Still no, huh?" Carver inquired. "Very well." Suddenly, the madman pulled out his revolver and shot Carlos in the head. The man hit the ground with a thud as Sarah screamed out in horror. "NNNOOOO…!"

"Oh, f***!" William exclaimed.

"F****** shit!" Ulrich exclaimed.

Carlos was dead much to Sarah's dismay and the group's horror. Even Bonnie and Johnny were horrified by what they saw.

"Are you going to come out now?" Carver inquired. "Or do we need to keep going down the line?" There was no response which made Carver turn to Troy. "Get me, Monroe."

Troy smirked and he walked over to grab the teenager. He grunted as he was dragged to his feet and pushed towards the psychotic man.

"NO… please, don't hurt him!" Sarah pleaded.

Carver delivered a quick punch to the teenager's face which made him grunt in pain. "This is your last warning. Come out, NOW." Carver said.

"Is that all you got?" Monroe inquired as he groaned in pain.

"Not even close." Carver said with a smirk. He drew handgun again and aimed at Monroe's head.

"Bill stop!" Rebecca shouted from the top floor.

Carver looked up to the second floor and smirked. "Ah." He said and he placed his revolver in its holster. William, Yumi, and Ulrich sighed in relief as Aelita and Clementine rushed towards their brother.

"Are you okay?" Aelita asked.

"I've been through worse." Monroe said as he smiled to the two to assure them that he was alright.

Suddenly, Troy grabbed Aelita from the back of her neck which made her yelp. "Well now, I knew that you'd be a pretty thing, but I'm stunned." Troy said with an evil grin. He released his grip on her neck and his hand stroked her face which made her shiver. It was quite creepy.

"Let go of my sister!" Monroe exclaimed.

Troy glared at the teenager but turned back to Aelita. "Tell me, how on Earth are you related to that asshole?" Troy then made the big mistake of letting his hand go down to Aelita's thigh, which made her knee the guard in the privates. "OHHHH!" Troy cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He gasped for air as Bonnie walked over and placed Aelita and Clementine in bindings.

"You deserved that, Troy." Bonnie said as she escorted the three family members over to the rest of the group.

Sarah looked to Monroe with tearful eyes and asked, "Are you-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" Monroe said. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Don't be. He wasn't very nice to you." Sarah said. "I'll miss him, but these last couple of years were horrible because of him."

Monroe looked to Carlos's body before he turned back to Sarah. "What are you going to do now?" Monroe asked.

"I'm with you, all the way… We'll both figure something out." Sarah said with a smile. Monroe returned the smile. The group watched on and were thankful to see that some good came out of the situation.

Suddenly a gunshot sounded and busted through the glass window. The shot went straight through Johnny's skull, and he landed on the ground dead.

"Kenny…!" Sarita said somewhat worriedly.

Carver, Troy, and Bonnie quickly went into action. They raised their guns up towards the group to prevent them from getting excited. "Don't move!" Bonnie barked. The three then took cover behind a couple of columns and tried to see who the mystery marksmen could be. However, the storm and dark night made it impossible for them to make out anything. "I can't see them!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Watch them." Carver commanded and he went to Walter. He grabbed the man and placed him in a chokehold. Walter grunted as he tried to breathe as Carver kept pushing him forward. Carver then pushed him to the ground and fired point-blank into Walter's skull.

"Holy shit!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"Not good!" William exclaimed.

"Walter!" Aelita exclaimed.

"That was for our man!" Carver shouted to the mystery sniper. "Now I didn't want to do that, but you ain't leaving me much options. So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to march another one of your friends out here and I'm going to put a bullet in the back of their head. Or you can give up now, your choice."

Suddenly another shot was fired which hit the column that Carver was hiding behind. Carver merely shrugged and went up to Alvin. "Hi, Alvin." Carver said as he dragged the man to his feet.

"You motherf*****." Alvin spat.

"Alvin!" Rebecca exclaimed as she tried to stop Carver, but she was stopped by Troy who aimed his gun at her. "Bill no! Tell him to stop!" Rebecca shouted. "Kenny stop!"

"This is getting out of hand!" Yumi exclaimed.

Carver ignored both and kept his gun to Alvin's head. "You remember George, Alvin? You see, I do. I remember a guy who was your friend named George. I remember when you murdered him in cold blood. And why? Because you didn't like me?" Carver then stopped walking and continued as he kept his revolver aimed at Alvin's temple. "You could have lodged a complaint. You could have… well you could have been civil about it."

"Bill no! We'll do whatever you want!" Rebecca pleaded.

Alvin turned to Rebecca and said, "I love you, Bec."

"BILL PLEASE!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"Kenny, Luke, don't shoot!" Clementine shouted, but it was too late. The madman fired his shot despite the fact that Kenny or Luke could have been surrendering. Alvin's body hit the ground with a thud.

"ALVIN!" Rebecca exclaimed. Her legs became weak and she dropped on her knees with a tearful stare aimed at the corpse of her husband.

"Bill, please, you have to calm down." Bonnie pleaded.

"Is this really what you wanted for us, Bonnie?" Ulrich exclaimed. "Is this what's best? For us to get murdered one-by-one!"

"No Ulrich, I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't!" Bonnie exclaimed with evident fear in her eyes.

Carver adjusted his gaze to Clementine and walked over to her next. "I guess I'm going to use you next." Carver said as he picked her up.

"NO! Please leave her alone!" Aelita exclaimed as she tried to break free from her bindings, but like Sarah, it was no use.

Clementine squirmed in the man's arms as he raised the handgun to her head next. Suddenly, the doors to the ski lodge opened and everyone looked over to see Kenny huffing as he raised his hands in surrender. He must have ran for the door to surrender when Carver had gotten Alvin, but Carver acted before Kenny could even think.

Bonnie went over and tied him up. "Move." Bonnie hissed as she shoved him to join the others.

"I now know whose side you're on. I trusted you… Walter trusted you. And look where that got him…" His words were like venom to Bonnie. She was remorseful for her actions. "Oh no…" Kenny said as he looked over to Alvin. His eyes widened in horror and his facial expressions read remorse. He was pushed forward by Bonnie, and he took Walter's spot.

"Where's Luke?" Carver inquired. No one answered as Carver continued, "Finally cut and run, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Carver then approached Monroe and said, "I warned you. I warned you not to follow him. And look where he's led you." Carver walked away from the group and looked towards the front door. He looked over the living conditions of the ski lodge and hummed in disappointment. He then turned back to the group and said, "But you're safe now." Carver said as he approached Rebecca. "We're going home now, as a family." Carver eyed the bulge of Rebecca stomach which was her baby. However, Rebecca was still saddened by Alvin's death and she looked away from the madman.

"Alright. Round them up." Carver said to Troy and Bonnie. "We're heading back to camp." With that, one-by-one, each person from the group was hoisted up and forced to leave and soon all that was left in the ski lodge was Walter's, Carlos's, and Alvin's bodies.

…**To be Continued.**


End file.
